An exceptional example of Austrian cold-painted bronze craftsmanship, this figural ashtray embodies the romanticized vision of the East that captivated European decorative arts at the turn of the 20th century. Likely produced in Vienna circa 1900, the piece features a young man seated in repose, cast in meticulous detail and finished with original polychrome cold painting now softened to a richly patinated verdigris. He is positioned beside a circular ashtray basin integrated into an architectural base of stepped tiers and linear fluting. Objects such as this were not merely utilitarian; they served as table-top vignettes — small windows into the Orientalist imagination, where exoticism, leisure, and storytelling intertwined. A poetic synthesis of form and function, this piece exemplifies the golden era of Viennese bronzes and their enduring collectible appeal.