- Title
- Ashtray MT36
- Date Made
- 1924
- Medium
- Brass alloy, nickel-plated brass
- Dimensions
- 2 3/4 × 4 3/4 × 4 1/4 in. (6.99 × 12.07 × 10.8 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2024.105.1
- Collecting Area
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Curatorial Notes
In 1924, when Marianne Brandt arrived at the Bauhaus, she was immediately recognized as a wunderkind. Her assemblage of simple, geometric forms amenable to mass production in objects like this ashtray and other domestic items such as teapots and lamps so exemplified the Bauhaus ideal of creating modern goods for a modern world that they became symbolic of the school itself. Brandt’s work heralded a new era for the Bauhaus with increased focus on design for commercial production. This rare example was made at the school, as indicated by a stamp on the foot. With its gold-toned metal and elegant stand for a single cigarette, the ashtray also represents one of the many new freedoms for women during the Weimar Republic—the right to smoke. While the dangers of smoking have been known for decades, in Brandt’s time cigarettes signaled glamour, independence, and a bit of rebellion. As the only woman to receive a diploma from the Bauhaus metal workshop, and only one of two to serve as a director of a Bauhaus department, Brandt herself was a trailblazing figure.
Bobbye Tigerman
2024