Featured Cosy family couple who clearly enjoy good food!

Hi friends!

This time I have another little curiosity for the community.

A miniature pair of a plump lady and gentleman — perhaps a grandfather and grandmother, though I’d describe them simply as a cosy family couple who clearly enjoy good food! They are made of bisque porcelain and stand only 8.5 cm tall.

They appear to be functional container-type pieces. Could they be tobacco jars, salt cellars, or small trinket holders? Both bases carry the same number: 364.

A few costume clues I’ve noticed:

• The lady wears a bonnet/cap (more typical of domestic elderly women, often seen after the 1860s), a simple dress with a higher waistline, and a small blue bow that feels more decorative than fashion-forward.
  
  
• The gentleman wears a waistcoat with a long house coat/robe, knee-length breeches, and overall has a very “bourgeois elderly / domestic” character.
  

From what I can tell, this type of small functional figural container was particularly popular in Germany and France in the late 19th century.

My best guess at the moment:

• Germany (Thuringia / Saxony), or
  
  
• France (Paris / Limoges workshop, possibly not a major factory brand)
  

I’ve been trying to find identical or even closely similar examples, but so far with no luck. What are your thoughts? Any ideas on the maker, region, or the exact intended use?

 

The type of cap, the high waistline and the neckline of the dress all look Empire/Regency to me. This model cap was worn by ladies of all ages, although married ladies wore them more than young ladies.
The fashion of the figures doesn't mean they were made during that period.

 

Here are two pair, they too have age, but only similar in function. No mention of a marks.
https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lot...d-Boehme/46-large_continental-04.8.20-gilding

Another of the same ...
https://antiques-atlas.com/melbourneantiques/browse.php?code=as511a1880

Different couple ...
https://www.lutterworthantiques.co....f-19th-century-porcelain-tobacco-jars-vin902b


That's all I've found.

 

Thank you! These are large examples, for fair amount of tobacco. Mine are much smaller. I will have a look that way, Conta and Boehme made a lot of similar items that time.

 

I was thinking Conta and Boehme, too. That area of Europe for sure.

 

May I suggest - To hold your favorite antacid tablets.

 

Or maybe your teeth

 

His and hers?