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Description: | Felix van Tienhoven, who is a member of the Académie Internationale de la Pipe and specialises in the study of metal pipes. tobacco pipe, possibly an element from a display sign, dating to the mid 19th century. This object has been made from iron, the stem is solid and the bowl is hollow but has a large slot at the front of the bowl extending down the base of the bowl and dividing the spur foot into two rectangular tabs. There is a strip of overlapping metal at the upper end of the slot just below the rim of the bowl. Inside the bowl are the remains of some river mud and small pieces of coal. There is some damage to the end of the stem and it is difficult to determine the original length of the stem but it seems likely that this was the original length.Jacqui Pearce and David Higgins agree that if the iron tobacco pipe was modeled on contemporary ceramic examples it would suggest a date of the mid 19th century. Neither have anything similar and cannot suggest a function.David Higgins writes: "It's particularly odd having what appears to be a mounting slot in the front since, if anything, you would have expected any sort of a 'display' item to be mounted from the stem end, with the bowl sticking out, especially as its a three dimensional form. That is to say, if mounted, then the bowl end ought to be 'sticking out' into fresh air, like part of a statue, when thestem end would be the obvious mounting point. Similarly, if it were part of a decorative design mounted on a surface, such as a scene from the end of a ship, then ought to have been cut in half so it could be mounted flat." David later adds: "I have had a reply back from a colleague in the Netherlands (Felix van Tienhoven, a member of the Académie Internationale de la Pipe and specialises in the study of metal pipes) who independently suggested the 'display sign' option for the pipe, with the slot being for a wooden mounting. My only concern on this front is that there does not appear to be a pin hole for a nail/bolt to hold it in place if this were the case. As I noted to Jacqui, the fact that the spur appears to have been bent slightly suggests that this is wrought rather than cast iron."Dimensions: length: 105mm; internal diameter of bowl: 24.15mm; weight: 252g.Identified by Jacqui Pearce, Medieval Pottery and Tobacco Pipe Specialist MOLA and Dr David Higgins, Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool and a specialist in clay tobacco pipe studies, Chairman of the Society for Clay Pipe Research, a Board Member of the Académie Internationale de la Pipe and a Trustee of the National Pipe Archive.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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