"Cigar holder"; Geneva, Switzerland, c. 1900.

"Cigar holder; Geneva, Switzerland, c. 1900.
Meerschaum" seafoam and amber.
Presents signature of the maker: "Au Pacha Gèneve".
Measurements: 4.5 x 14 x 2 cm.
The cigar holder, cigar holder or cigar holder, is an object of both functional and cultural significance, especially between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although its use has diminished over time, this implement played a relevant role in the history of tobacco consumption, reflecting social and aesthetic practices.
From a functional perspective, the cigar holder was conceived to enhance the smoking experience. It was designed to avoid direct contact with the cigarette and to help cool the smoke before inhalation, thus reducing throat and lung irritation. Some models were made of materials such as seafoam, amber, ivory, hardwood, silver or even gold, which gave them additional properties such as filtering impurities or greater heat resistance.
In social terms the cigar holder acquired connotations of status and refinement. Its use was associated with figures of the cultural, political and artistic elite, who incorporated it as part of a carefully constructed personal aesthetic. In the collective imagination, public figures, especially during the Belle Époque, Art Deco and until the mid-20th century.