The current situation of the various tobacco and pipe museums show a wide variety. Some collections seem to sink into oblivion, others are newly presented and again others revive because of unforeseen subventions that give a new impetus. This Newsletter deals with some of these changes. The first category covered in dust, we just forget for the moment. The second is represented by museumgoudA and the third group we find in the occasional joint venture of French and Belgian museums. And, of course, this Newsletter can not exist without some colorful acquisitions of the Pijpenkabinet and other faits divers.

Nom d’une pipe!
For the first time since years the border region between Lille and Courtrai – certainly of importance for the Belgium-France pipe history – produced a book on pipes and not a small one: A4 size, nearly 300 pages. The number o colourful logos and names in the introduction explain this sudden activity. Various museums have joint their efforts in an activity of ‘border crossing nature’ that opens the way to apply for a European grant.

The new published book contains articles from French and Flemish authors, each of them written in their own language. An important part is reserved for the pipe factory Gisclon from Lille. Spread over numerous pages the complete catalogue is illustrated (original Pijpenkabinet collection, Amsterdam) together with illustrations of excavated pipes and explaining information. Nom d’une pipe!, La pipe et le tabac dans le Nord was edited by José Barbieux and Martine Gabriel. A richly illustrated book thanks to the generous subvention of the European Community that now lead to more knowledge on the tradition of pipe smoking and pipe producing in this region. Next to a reading and learning book the publication also functions as a catalogue at the exhibitions on pipes held in this region.

Reopening pipe exhibition in museumgoudA
Since its opening in 1938 the museum De Moriaan (The Blackamor) along the Westhaven canal in Gouda became worldwide known as museum for the history of pipes, ceramics and tiles. In the 1960’s, however, De Moriaan attracted the attention of the Gouda city council as a potential cost reduction. The museum succeeded in surviving several of these discussions on closing, but finally the expenses are turned into a profit! The Dutch branch of pharmacists have taken over the early seventeenth century house for the National Pharmaceutical Museum. The premises is still city owned, the rent is a steady income for the city.

In the meantime the presentation on the profession of apothecary has been opened in De Moriaan. After a tradition of seventy years, the collections of pipes, ceramics and tiles are moved out and stored in the main municipal museum at the other side of the canal. This museum changed its name into a fashionable way to museumgoudA.

Two exhibition rooms in the attic of museumgoudA are reserved for the permanent exhibition of Gouda ceramics and clay pipes. The re-opening of the pipe-department took place in July 2007. The long and narrow room in the attic of the former hospital Catharinagasthuis is totally redesigned, changing the atmosphere completely into a beautiful museum space. Both sides have a series of horizontal show cases along the wall suitable to hold small objects such as clay pipes. The first impression of the rather dark space is impressive because of the wallpaper in Bordeaux-red printed with a rhythm of clay tobacco pipes. A closer look at the presentation however, gives another, less positive idea.

In spite of the overacted room design, the selection of pipes in not worthy the dominant position of the Gouda pipe making craft. It is quite difficult to find out the themes and system of arrangement within the twelve show cases along the two walls. The pattern of the wall paper is continues into the showcases in real clay pipes, mostly archaeological finds, but their relation to Gouda history is not clear at all. Against all museum logic, the sequence proves to be anti-clockwise, a visitor with some pipe knowledge will find out eventually.

At the two far ends of the room a few larger objects are displayed: the impressive guilt board with all pipe marks painted, the matching chest of the pipe maker’s guilt, together with a reconstructed muffle from Alphen aan den Rijn, a competing town 20 kms off Gouda. At the other side we see two smoking chairs of the late nineteenth century, the era of the cigar, a rather common pipe stand and the unique goblet of Bastiaan Overwesel with his mark engraved. For the visitor to find out the historical connection of these various exhibits.

As towards the pipe finds in the showcases, information is to be found in a visitor’s information paper. The anonymous author can impossibly be proud of his work, because the large number of spelling, style and content mistakes prove that the paper is printed before any correction. The description is far too detailed, which hide the history the Gouda clay pipe in a maze of irrelevant facts – if, of course, you are able to read Dutch. It’s a shame that the worldwide importance of the Gouda pipe, its expansion and local importance as a major craft doesn’t become evident in this presentation, nor in the written texts. A missed chance for the Gouda clay pipe, even in the city of Gouda that has a world reputation in pipes more than in any other product.

Acquisitions

Insects on a porcelain pipebowl
The painting of animals and plants after nature has been a popular activity for numerous painters, amateurs as well as professionals. The variety in shape and the beauty of colours of nature inspired to the most beautiful detailpaintings. Also on the German porcelain this theme is widely applied, as decorated dinner services and other luxurious utensils prove. A beautiful example of miniature painting after nature is the tobacco pipe recently acquired by the Pijpenkabinet showing insects. This porcelain bowl has a high, so-called Hungarian bowl, slightly tapering in the middle. The bottom is round and functions as a moist trap. The stem is short and leads to a stub for insertion of a separate stem.

The shape is characteristic for the early Biedermeier period and has not been popular for a long time, only between 1820 and 1840. The relatively large weight of these pipe bowls may be the reason for the short period of popularity. What made these pipes attractive for painting is the large surface, the bowl and moist trap being one piece, without a disturbing joint between the parts. This pipe shows a decoration of insects painted by hand after nature. On the front we see a butterfly sitting on a small green leaf, encircled by about ten smaller insects.

The dating of the pipe bowl can be given rather precise, the period between 1820 and 1835. The object was produced at Bruckberg in Germany, where this type of porcelain bowl have been produced in larger quantities. Thanks to the magnificent studies of Walter Morgenroth we now know that the painter is most likely Johann Leonhard Geiser, who lived from 1776 till 1830. His work is characterized by a great skill and fineness. However, this particular pipe is not the finest example of his type of work, so it could also have been made by a follower of Geiser in the same factory shortly after his death, of course using the masters’ designs.

The tobacco pipe is fitted with a silver lid with a lens-shaped top. The quality mark 12 on the lid indicates German manufacture. Also the stub is fitted in a silver mounting. To fix the precious bowl to the separate stem, a chain for warranty is used, leading from the stem to the bowl. The pipe is still mounted with its original black buffalo horn stem with typical turn work and disks. Near the mouthpiece a flexible part is found, covered with copperwire so that the mouthpiece rested as comfortable as possible in the smokers’ mouth. This end is made from the same buffalo horn. The silver chain seems to be of later date and was possibly added about 1900, serving earlier as watch chain. This chain goes from the stem to the silver stub ring.

Amsterdam, Pijpenkabinet collections Pk 18.687.

Woodpecker
The porcelain pipe bowl shaped like a Dutch clay tobacco bowl and hence named Holländisches Modell, has been the most beloved pipe shape in Germany. This bowl shape, usually called Stummel, was developed about the year 1800 and was produced in all porcelain manufactures around Germany in various sizes. The oval shape is very suitable for painting, normally within a frame of applied gold leaf. This particular pipe bowl shows the painting boldly without framing, as large as possibly feasible on the surface, making a intrusive impression.

This pipe is an interesting acquisition for various reasons. First of all for its decoration: the green woodpecker seems to be copied directly from a bird print. The naturalistic effect is not reached by fine detail, but instead by a rather free, impressionist and yet accurate touch. Unfortunately, the result makes that the bird doesn’t set out of the background very well, he stays rather bidimensial.

The pipe bowl has an unusual size. Average pipes are marked with the size number 8, measuring 9.5 to 10.5 cms in height. Number 9 is rare and somewhat larger. This example has an exceptional height of 13.6 cms, matching size 12. This number is not imprinted on the heel of the bowl, as usual, but on the short stem. What confuses us is that the print of the number failed partly, only leaving the 2 readable.

The pipe bowl is also in other aspects different. The porcelain is not fine enough to be hand painted. The material is slightly greyish and not perfectly smooth. Also the transparent glaze is not first quality but rather muddy instead. These negative characteristics prove that it is impossible that the pipe was made in one of the leading porcelain factories. In this case, serial production was apparently more important than high quality. These bowls were given a transparent glaze and left the factory undecorated.

Many of these mass produced pipe bowls have been painted in home industry. Of course the quality of the painting varies. This bowl shows a bird depicted with great force but far less refined then the butterfly pipe previously discussed and from the same source of origin. The result is not very convincing because the artistic level and skill of the painter did not come on a higher level. In comparison of the two, the subject is the same - depicting nature - but the result differs. The insect pipe reflects great skill and a minute way of working, while the woodpecker is less precise, resulting is a less transparent and clear image. In conclusion, big is not always better. Dating of this pipe bowl between 1870 and 1890.

Amsterdam, Pijpenkabinet collections Pk 18.688.

New on our website
Publishing of new articles on our website is continuing. Also in this issue of the Newsletter we can announce some new articles on the Pijpenkabinet website – all with English summary:

- Een exotische pijp uit Schermerhorn (An exotic pipe from Schermerhorn), is dedicated to a special archaeological tobacco pipe found in a ditch in the province of North-Holland but being of exotic origin.

- De Büttnerpijp, een rookmachine van een alternatief materiaal (The Büttner pipe, a smoke machine made from an alternative material) deals with the importance of bakelite for the pipe industry and discusses the only pipe that is known in this material.

- Een Bali-pijp uit een Amsterdamse collectie (A Bali pipe from an Amsterdam collection) describes a modern figural pipe from the Grasslands of Cameroon illustrative for the artistic skill of the pipe makers in the 1970’s.

- De Jong’s pijpen- en aardewerkfabriek in Gouda (The De Jong’s pipe- and ceramic Works in Gouda, Holland) tells the story of one of the last workshops in Gouda were pipes were moulded in the traditional way and various other ceramic articles were produced.

Besides, Don Duco wrote two new articles that were published elsewhere. Taal en teken in de pijpen van de Ashanti (Proverbs depicted in the pipes of the Ashante), published in: Nieuwsbrief Vereniging Vrienden van Etnografica, Leiden, nr. 100, Autumn 2007 and Pijpvondsten van de Citadel te Antwerpen (Pipe finds from the fortress of Antwerp), Amsterdam, 2007. The latter article can also be read in full on our website in the section archaeology.

The link to these articles can be found on www.pijpenkabinet.nl in paragraph 19 simply by clicking on the titles of the articles in the literature list. Enjoy reading!

Link of the month
The clay tobacco pipe still is the most popular type of pipe among collectors and researchers. As archaeological find, but also as collectors piece or object of study the clay tobacco pipe finds a wide interest. In this site you learn to know two Americans that have been active in pipes for a long time: Byron Sudbury and Michael Smoke Pfeiffer. Meet with the activity of both persons and fill in the quiz that shows you once more that clay pipes is a matter of details!

http://www.claypipes.com/index.html

Smokersclub complete
Last summer the Amsterdam Pipesmokers Guild (APG) organized an open pub-evening for pipesmokers. Normally the APG meets monthly in private, but as an exception the club evening in beerpub De Wildeman in Amsterdam was open for guests. This resulted in many acquaintances among members and known and unknown pipesmokers and even starters. In Autumn one of the visitors was invited to join the Guild which made a completion of the Group with fifteen members. A group of that size fits one table conducting a central discussion. Lectures and discussions during the club meetings are in fact the main point, smoking the pipe of course the common action. With this restriction for the APG we will investigate the need and possibility for a second pipe smoker’s club in Amsterdam. The Pijpenkabinet is as always willing to cooperate or even to coordinate. Who takes the lead? Please call for interest.

New literature
Bert van der Lingen, Smoking in the Ottoman Empire and an Introduction to the Clay Tobacco Pipes from the Beirut Souks Excavations, Berytus, Archaeological Studies, 2003, p 129-142. Although written years ago, now newly in print. The author illustrates that he transformed his serious interest in the archaeology of Dutch tobacco pipe in a new interest and scientific eye for exploring the unknown realm of the Ottoman pipe. The article introduces the smoking habit and pipe making craft in Eastern Mediterranean and North-Africa.

Marius Aalders, Thirty Years Rust & Bedachtzaamheid, A Sketch of an Amsterdam undisciplinary enjoying club of cigar smokers, 2007, 48 pages, narrative history of a un-typical cigar smokers circle in Amsterdam. A nice time document on a period when smoking was still popular and certainly not forbidden!

End of this eighth Newsletter
Thank you for your interest and till the next issue !
We are happy to respond to any reactions or questions. Just click on mailto:info@pijpenkabinet .
Or continue on our web site http://www.pijpenkabinet.nl/

Benedict Goes
PR en Publicity Pijpenkabinet

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