The Theoutonics

Beautiful Pipes — often — those in ceramics, but truly execrable for the quality of the smoke exhaled: it's still worth talking about them because they are typical of an era (the 1800s) and a vast area of Central Europe (Germany and Austria); and also because they can pleasantly adorn the collector's showcases of Pipes. It is likely that some of these Pipes — with a bowl similar in shape to that of clay pipes and a long stem of wood or other material — were manufactured shortly after the discovery of the production processes of "hard porcelain", which occurred between 1708 and 1710 (for example by the famous Meissen Manufactures and by other factories in the field). However, their diffusion began shortly before the end of the 1700s and then increased significantly during the 19th century. It can be considered that the typical porcelain Pipes of Austria and Bavaria consist of four distinct parts, namely: — the bowl, or chamber, in porcelain; — the "intermediate piece" in the shape of a "V", also in porcelain; — the stem (in wood, horn, or ebony); — the mouthpiece (in horn).

Let's now look in more detail at these four individual components.

1. The bowl It can be completely white, decorated, or in various ways: from sparse ornamental motifs in gold or colors, to composite scenes with many characters. In my book "Introduction to Pipes" I have described some and therefore it does not seem appropriate to repeat myself here; I only add that I recently purchased a curious Tyrolean porcelain Pipe, equipped with a long cherry stem, with scenes of work in a leather tannery and the inscription in German: "Long live the leather tanner!". The Pipe is of an unusual type, because generally on the bowl there are scenes of love, hunting, or family life, but very rarely of more or less artisanal work.

2. The "intermediate piece" It presents, as I mentioned, a "V" shape, which widens at the bottom into a common stretch, in which condensation liquids are collected (it has a function of saliva collector). In one of the branches of the "V" the bowl is inserted, in the other the stem. Usually this intermediate piece is porcelain and is white, even in Pipes with highly decorated bowls; however, there are exceptions: in instruments belonging to military personnel, writings referring to the units in which the owner served, coat of arms, crossed rifles, backpacks, bicephalous eagles, or similar figures are often reproduced. Other times — especially if the stem is highly worked and in precious materials — the "V" piece can be made of horn instead of ceramic, and assumes elaborate forms (spur-shaped, cornucopia-shaped, and so on).

3. The stem In most cases, it is simply made of cherry or wild cherry wood, but in large-sized Pipes, it can reach considerable lengths (from 40 centimeters to one meter) and be of very complex workmanship: sometimes disks and sections of deer horn alternate with pierced, turned, or twisted pieces; also, the color of the horn varies, from transparent blond to opaque black; or the entire stem is in ebony, smooth or worked. There are also cords and tassels, both for simple decoration and to hold the components of the Pipe more securely together, especially the bowl, intermediate piece, and stem.

4. The mouthpiece It is usually made of horn, curved, and more or less tapered (especially in longer Pipes); between the mouthpiece and the stem, there is sometimes an interposed flexible section, covered with a dense black fabric, which allows wide movements of the very long Pipe while keeping the mouthpiece firmly between the teeth.

5. The quality of the smoke It is my habit, while writing about a characteristic Pipe, to smoke one of the same type: this allows me to speak about it more easily and realistically. Even now, therefore, I have the mouthpiece of a Tyrolean porcelain Pipe between my lips: painted on the bowl is a charming nude maiden: however, the pleasant features of the maiden are not enough to console me for the execrable smoke, which reaches my mouth through the cherry stem, causing me an annoying burning sensation on the tongue and palate, even though the tobacco is excellent. Therefore, I can only confirm the completely negative judgment that I have given above on these porcelain Pipes, and that I have always expressed on every possible occasion.