Two early tobacco pipes shaped like a ship

Twee vroege tabakspijpen in de vorm van een schip

By Don Duco

Abstract: This article discusses two rare tobacco pipes found in the North of Holland that are shaped like Dutch sea ships. The first is made in wood and decorated with pewter details, and is a true copy of a sailing ship popular from around 1600. The object shows all the details that characterize a sailing boat of that type. The second is made in traditional pipe clay and the pipe maker who produced this item neglected most of the details of the ship, just producing a ship like pipe. Therefore the surface is covered with prints of his pipe mark, not with ship details. Together these pipes reflect the changes in ships that took place between 1600 and 1630 and they illustrate as well that next to ordinary pipes unusual creations were available.

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

© Don Duco, Pijpenkabinet Foundation, Amsterdam - Holland, 2009.

Illustrations

1-6. Tobacco pipe in wood with figural bowl, the stem incorporated in the bowl. The bowl shaped like a galjoen ship with a deck in three levels on the top decorated with wood carving, in the middle a pewter insert is found that serves as a pipe bowl having a square shape with rounded off corners, on the rim on the top the owners initials (IH ?) and twice the silhouette of a simple ship, on both sides of the ship the levels of the decks are visible including the canons accentuated with pewter nails, the front is pointed, the back or mirror shows three nails and a thin hole to push in a pipe stem in metal (the remainders still there).

Size: L. 8,9 cm, Br. 2,7 cm
Found Holland, Hoorn, quay of the port, 1998
Amsterdam, Pijpenkabinet collections Pk 19.734

7-11. Tobacco pipe in white pipe clay with figural bowl, the stem incorporated in the bowl. The bowl shaped like a seventeenth century flute ship, the pipe bowl in the middle deck and a hole for the stem in the uprising mirror part of the back of the ship, the item covered with prints of the pipe makers stamp showing a standing lion, on the top of the deck behind two millings cross. Traces of painting in various colors, dark green being the main color.

Size: L. 8,2 cm, Br. 4,1 cm
Found Bovenkarspel, field walking find, 1966
Amsterdam, Pijpenkabinet collections Pk 11.145

Notes

1. The so-called Oostervaerders were meant for the Eastsea region, the Noortsvaerders for sailing to Norway and the Groenlantsvaerders were whaling in the artic region. each kind was fitted to a specific area, so for instance Greenland sailing boats had a stronger front to break the ice. Also there were Fransvaerders for sailing to France, Spaensvaerders for Spain and Portugal and Straetsvaerders for the Mediterean seas. The best known are the Oostindisvaerders for Asia and the Westindisvaerders for Africa and America.

2. Amsterdam, Pijpenkabinet collections Pk 11.146ab.

3. Now collection Maritime Museum Rotterdam.

4. Jan J.B. Kuipers, 'Speelgoedscheepjes uit Veere en Rostock (vijftiende en zestiende eeuw)', Westerheem, 49-1, February 2000, pp. 11-15.