Matchstrikers, also called Pyrogenes (after an important manufacturer of the ceramic items) were a staple of every fashionable European bistro table and watering hole in the early part of the 19th century. Distributed freely to hotel bars and local area pubs by prominent tobacco and liquor manufacturers, the items not only provided a necessary convenience by storing matches needed for the new popularity of tobacco enjoyment, but also slyly enforced brand awareness of the tobacco and liquor products.
The striking surfaces varied from ribbed ceramic or porcelain shapes with metal - and even wooden – inserts, which the matches of the day were pulled against.
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Particularly desirable by collectors of this item are the French-made Bell pyrogenes, which have an actual bell clapper molded into the underside of the piece that was used to call for the waiter.
Some of the most sought after and beautiful examples of the designs have advertisements for Absinthe products embossed or glazed into the porcelain surface.
Some of the forms and shapes of this product range from ball shape to conical or figurative with some actually attached to walls while doing their advertising duties.
Because of its compact and weighty form, the matchstriker also makes an unusual and beautiful paperweight.
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