Set of Vintage Chinese Cloisonné Enamel and Brass Ashtrays.

Chinese artisans in Beijing made decorative items using a technique of soldering thin metal wires to a metal base to create small cells. They then filled these cells with colored glass paste and fired the piece multiple times in a kiln to melt the enamel. These decorative ashtrays were produced in large quantities during the mid-20th century primarily for export to Western markets.

Smoking accessories of this type were used by hosts in living rooms and dens to accommodate guests during social gatherings. Smokers tapped their ash into the bowl and rested their cigarettes in the small notches cut into the brass rim. Changing social habits and declining indoor smoking eventually led to a sharp drop in demand for such decorative smoking wares.