French Art Deco ceramic 1930s era 4-piece smoker set by Paul Milet of Sevres. Comprising of a lidded tobacco or cigar humidor, ashtray, match or cigarette holder, all on a square tray. Featuring white crispé technique layered over a matte charcoal black ground, giving the pieces a volcanic glazed texture. Accented with sang de boeuf ox blood red interiors for a stunning contrast. Marked for Paul Milet and Sevres, this mark was in use circa 1911. Optat Milet began his career as a modeler for Sèvres in 1862, and opened his own ceramics factory in 1866. His son Paul Jean Milet took over operations shortly before the turn of the century and ran the company until 1931. In overall good condition with no chips or cracks. Some scratches to the red glaze on the tray commensurate with use.
Tray measures 11 1/2" square x 1 1/8" height. The humidor jar stands 6 3/8" height x 4 7/8" width, with a 4" diameter opening. The ashtray or dish is 4 1/4" diameter. The cigarette holder stands 2 7/8" height x 2 5/8" width.
Paul Milet, son of Optat Milet, came from a well-defined lineage of potters. Optat Milet began his career as a modeler for Sèvres in 1862, and opened his own ceramics factory in 1866. Paul Milet entered his father's pottery workshop in the town of Sèvres in 1894 and for the next 36 years produced high-quality ceramics sold through Parisian shops and interior decorators. Because his aesthetic preferences kept pace with the fashions of the era, his early works favored the floral and whiplash ornamentation associated with the Art Nouveau movement. By comparison, his later work is streamlined (streamline moderne/ Art Moderne) with flambe glazed in high-contrast bold jazz-age colors indicative of the Art Deco era.