Clay tobacco pipes from the Bolwerk quarter in Gouda, the Netherlands

(Pijpvondsten aan het Bolwerk in Gouda)

By Don Duco

Abstract: This article describes the finds from the Bolwerk in Gouda, a triangular piece of land along the cingels of the old town. In this area a cloister was built, later a Proveniershuis housed elderly people. The others buildings were normal town houses. The pipe finds are quite unexpected. In a town where the main industry is the making of clay pipes, you would expect an exclusive style of smoking pipes among the inhabitants, but this proves to be completely different. The majority of the clay pipes that were found back are of ordinary quality, produced in small workshops where the quality stays far behind. So, fashionable nicely burnished pipes were rare here among the smokers, while half of the used pipes consists of unmarked bowls, often of a second quality with failures of the industry. Despite of the expectations, no waist dump of workshops were found here, which is astonishing since the main street were theclay pipes were produced ends at the Bolwerk quarter.

Sorry, we do not have an English text of this article available. See for the full text the Dutch version of our website.

© D.H. Duco, Pijpenkabinet Foundation, Amsterdam - Holland, 2009.

Illustrations

1. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl (basis shape 1), heel and straight stem. Bowl and stem stroke burnished. Stem decoration with lilies in diamonds. Heel mark rose with dot shaped leaves. Gouda, Daniel Joosten, 1640-1645.

2. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Bowl and stem stroke burnished. Stem decoration with lilies in diamonds. Heel mark DI initials with two stars. Gouda, Daniel Joosten, 1640-1645.

3. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Unburnished. Heel mark GI initials. Gouda, 1635-1645.

4. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Bowl and stem stroke burnished. Stem stamped with lilies in diamonds and millings. Heel mark PC initials with two stars. Gouda, 1650-1665.

5. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Bowl and stem stroke burnished. Stem stamped with lilies in diamonds and millings. Heel mark horn under star. Gouda, 1655-1663.

6. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Bowl and stem stroke burnished. Heel mark IFR initials. Gouda, 1655-1670.

7. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Bowl partly stroke burnished. Heel mark IDW. Gouda, 1660-1675.

8. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Not burnished. Heel mark HWR initials. Gouda, 1660-1675.

9. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Not burnished. Heel mark IAS initials. Gouda, 1665-1685.

10.Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Not burnished. Heel mark CID initials. Gouda, 1670-1685.

11. Stem of a large tobacco pipe with incised rings bordered with millings. Gouda, 1650-1675.

12. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Not burnished. The area between bowl and stem covered with green lead glaze, the bowl partly discolored. Gouda, 1660-1680.

13. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Not burnished. Bowl largely covered with yellowish lead glaze and some parts of other pipes, the red point proves that the saggar was made in red clay. Gouda, 1650-1670.

14. Clay tobacco pipe with bi-conical bowl, heel and straight stem. Not burnished. Misbacked, the bowl covered with a greenish lead glaze on which parts of the surrounded pipes are backed. Gouda, 1655-1675.

15. Clay rolls shaped by hand used as support in the kiln for the baking of clay pipes. Gouda, 1650-1675.

Notes

1. Don Duco, Biografische gegevens van pijpenmakers in Gouda, Amsterdam, 1976 e.v.

2. Don Duco, Merken en merkenrecht van de pijpenmakers in Gouda, Amsterdam, 2003, p. 18.