RARE SASCHA BRASTOFF MCM ADVERTISING CERAMIC ASHTRAY, BROWN SHOE COMPANY

Description

FEATURED:    A very scarce and very cool Mid Century Modern SASCHA BRASTOFF of California Ceramic HAND-PAINTED ASHTRAY, created as an advertising item for the BROWN SHOE COMPANY,  and showing a handsome Shoe Cobbler at his workbench, making shoes, wearing his leather apron and hammering away at a man's shoe on a stand.  Great stylized graphics, all hand-painted, with bright colors, gold accents were used to cover this iconic ashtray's front bowl.  On the reverse we see the Gold Rooster of Sascha Brastoff hallmark, and the Brown Shoe Company, with its logo and phrase, " Quality at your Feet" also printed over the Brastoff logo.  The Brown Shoe Company, started over 139 years ago, still in business, and perhaps best known for its "Buster Brown" line of shoes and promotional items from that line,  at some point, probably the 60's, had Sascha Brastoff's company do this for perhaps gifts or promotional advertising for the company, and we feel sure these were done in limited quantity.   This amazing rare bowl ashtray, looking as if never used, is signed "Sascha B." on the front, so we believe a staff designer in Sascha Brastoff's company did this, not the Master himself.  Whoever did the design and artwork for this was a really terrific artist, capturing the modern angular shapes, the aqua blue and brown, with black and gold accents, the simplicity of design so perfectly in this piece.   Originally designed as an ashtray, and now a terrific rare piece of ceramic Mid Century functional art, by one of the top Ceramic Design Companies of the Mid Century Era,  and bearing an iconic ceramic name,  this item belongs in a Mid Century Ceramics or Advertising collection, and of course in any Sascha Brastoff collection.  We have NEVER seen advertising items made by Sascha Brastoff.  Graphics of today's hipster look meets yesterdays' iconic Mid Century design in this item, and Wowza!
Measures:  8.75 inches diameter, 7/8 inches high,  pottery by Sascha Brastoff Company, California, probably in the 1960's, per the use of the Gold Rooster hallmark on the back. Signed Sascha B. on the front, artwork probably done by staff artist, as Sascha normally signed his full name if he did the art himself.  In excellent vintage condition, appears to have never been used.  Made as a Promotional/Advertising piece for the Brown Shoe Company, St. Louis, Mo., still in business today. Very scarce item; we could NOT find another one like this online; however we do have another very similar one, from the same estate, listed in our store.   Wonderful Mid Century artwork.
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