Can Anyone Help Me Find the Maker of This Beauty?

[gatorlope]

The initials “JB” (or maybe BJ) don’t mean anything to anybody? Something as delicate and skillfully done as this had to be a top notch product in its’ time. Also the catch on the case has an internal mechanism, if that’s typical of any particular producer from the (I think) Victorian time period???

 

[gatorlope]

Flipping through examples of Victorian meerschaums, I found a similar coat of arms for “Frank Weiss, Vien”.

It had the griffins rampant on either side of a shield and a crown or helm on top of the shield, but instead of the monogram inside the shield it has the Austrian two headed eagle.

What they have in common, though,seems to point to Austria, possibly Vienna..
However, even if I’m correct about the hint leading to Austria, I could still be painting with a fairly broad brush because we’re probably talking about the heyday of the Austria-Hungarian Empire and that covered considerably more real estate than the Austria of today.

 

[gatorlope]

Perhaps, more correctly referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire

 

[upnorth1]

Does her bonnet remove to reveal the chamber? And is the very dark blotch in the front just soot, or is there damage as well?

I believe that dark blotch is the chamber and it looks to be quite small too. I'm thinking this may be a cheroot holder based on the small chamber/opening compared alongside the pen tip in the photo above. The angle of the bowl is rather odd for a cheroot pipe or a regular pipe.

 

[seldom]

Here is another smoking implement with that monogram. Other then being listed on UK ebay there isn't much more to add. Perhaps the "free trial" at worthpoint would yield more information? ANTIQUE MEERSCHAUM AMBER CIGARETTE CHEROOT HOLDER WITH CASE

 

[gatorlope]

Good eye!

That’s a good shot of the logo, as well. Maybe good enough for someone to do a google search on the image?

I’m thinking about trying that “free trial” to see if it yields any more information than what’s obvious.

 

[jonasclark]

If the chamber is as small as that pen tip, it probably is a cheroot holder.

 

[madox07]

I have seen pictures of similar complexity in design in this JB Vinche of Bordeaux, the 1860s Nabab series. While the initials coincide with your logo, and one would be tempted to say that it may be one and the same, what I have seen on pipephil.eu as being stamped on some of their meers it doesn't match. The heraldic logo on your case ... with the two griffons and the papal hat definitely places it as a European pipe, although anything beyond that would be speculation.

 

[gatorlope]

At least we’ve made progress and even found another piece with the same logo.
Looking at the quality of the piece, I can’t help but think that both the artist and the distributor would have been well known in the pipe smoking community.

 

[gatorlope]

A second example of the logo, but still unidentified.