Lalique "Soudan" Crystal Ashtray — France

A striking Art Deco–style square ashtray from Lalique, the storied French crystal house. The Soudan (Sudan) design is built from raised banded chevrons running all around the piece, with an acid-cut zig-zag pattern that plays clear polished crystal against frosted texture. The result is architectural: stepped peaks rising at each corner, satin-white bands of stippled frosting weaving between mirror-bright ridges, and a heavy slab base that gives the whole thing real presence for its size. 1stDibs

Marc Lalique, son of founder René, led the house's shift from glass to crystal in the early 1950s, which places the Soudan among the designs that define that transition. Four cigar rests are cut into the rim. Beyond its original purpose, it reads beautifully as a desk tidy, a vide-poche for rings and cufflinks, a card holder, or simply a sculptural object on a shelf or bar cart. ABASK

Signed Lalique France in engraved script.