Pipe Case
1670-1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Tobacco smoking arrived as a popular pastime in Europe in the latter part of the seventeenth-century. The clay pipes used to consume the 'brown gold' were easily broken, and so pipe cases were developed to offer them protection. This particular example was a carved in the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia) in the period 1670-1700. Non-indigenous cash crops such as tobacco were introduced to the colony by the United East India Company.
The carving is quite fine, and the inclusion of a mount made of silver suggests that this could have been a souvenir made for a wealthy merchant. Its length is also indicative of wealth, as a more impractical longer pipe was favoured by a class of person who could afford to break a few fragile stems. The scenes depicted are of a generally European flavour, which suggests a firm awareness of the maker's expected customers' tastes. The choice to use ebony, a tree native to Indonesia, adds a further glamorous aspect to this piece.
The carving is quite fine, and the inclusion of a mount made of silver suggests that this could have been a souvenir made for a wealthy merchant. Its length is also indicative of wealth, as a more impractical longer pipe was favoured by a class of person who could afford to break a few fragile stems. The scenes depicted are of a generally European flavour, which suggests a firm awareness of the maker's expected customers' tastes. The choice to use ebony, a tree native to Indonesia, adds a further glamorous aspect to this piece.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Carved ebony with engraved silver mount. |
| Brief description | Pipe case, carved ebony and silver, Dutch East Indies, 1670-1700 |
| Physical description | Pipe-case of carved ebony with engraved silver mount at the end of the stem. The case divides into two parts and is opened by a sliding action. A section of the upper part of the bowl compartment where the two parts meet is missing. The bowl compartment shows infants and a mother, representing charity, a castle toward the stem, a full vase of flowers and two stags on either side facing the castle. The lower half runs along two grooves on the underside and is held in place by the silver mount at the mouthpiece end. There are flowers and foliage all along the stem, and the silver mount is similarly decorated with flowers, terminating in a silver ball. The bowl compartment is broken near its base leaving a gap when the two parts are united. The lower part is decorated with scenes of a bear hunt at the base of the bowl compartment, and floral patterns along its length. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Unique |
| Credit line | Given by W. Sanders Fiske |
| Object history | Given by W. Sanders-Fiske, a collector who lived locally to the V&A, as part of a collection of pipe cases (museum nos. W.144 to 179-1928) in November 1928. RP 28/10633. He later donated to the Museum his important collection of 18th century Staffordshire porcelain figures. H. Clifford Smith, in a note on a minute paper (RP 28/9292), 02/11/1928: ‘The collection of pipe-cases is undoubtedly a very interesting one, and every item differs.’ Upon entry to the Museum it was noted that 'part of the bowl [is] broken away'. |
| Historical context | Clay tobacco pipes are by their nature fragile, so cases such as this one were used to ensure they remained intact. Long pipes, such as the one which would have been contained in this object, were generally smoked in the home as they were slightly unwieldly. Short pipes, on the other hand, could be carried outdoors inside a pocket. |
| Summary | Tobacco smoking arrived as a popular pastime in Europe in the latter part of the seventeenth-century. The clay pipes used to consume the 'brown gold' were easily broken, and so pipe cases were developed to offer them protection. This particular example was a carved in the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia) in the period 1670-1700. Non-indigenous cash crops such as tobacco were introduced to the colony by the United East India Company. The carving is quite fine, and the inclusion of a mount made of silver suggests that this could have been a souvenir made for a wealthy merchant. Its length is also indicative of wealth, as a more impractical longer pipe was favoured by a class of person who could afford to break a few fragile stems. The scenes depicted are of a generally European flavour, which suggests a firm awareness of the maker's expected customers' tastes. The choice to use ebony, a tree native to Indonesia, adds a further glamorous aspect to this piece. |
| Bibliographic reference | p. 224; p.230
Sanders Fiske, W. Tobacco Pipe Cases, The Connoisseur, December 1925, LXXIII(292), pp. 218-231 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.169:1, 2-1928 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
