Can Anyone Tell Me Anything About This Most Unusual Pipe?

[craiginthecorn]

I purchased this pipe at auction recently and was quite blown away once I had it in hand and had cleaned it up. I'll guess that its origins are the Middle East or India, based upon the brass inlays and design. I have little idea of its age. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say early 1900s. Is anyone familiar with this type of pipe and can provide more insights? The chamber is metal -- probably brass.

 

[bassbug]

Pretty, but it must get hot as a pistol.

 

[craiginthecorn]

You mean because of the brass chamber? The body of the pipe is a fairly heavy and dense wood. The brass burn chamber is inset. I thought perhaps the bowl would be removable, but it doesn't seem to be. I doubt it would get hotter than most pipes

 

[mawnansmiff]

Certainly looks middle eastern to my untrained eyes.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[roddypiper]

The brass, red agate, and comma pattern together say india to me. Very unlikely it is middle eastern.

 

[elbert]

India didn't seem right to me. For one thing, the profile of the bowl is unlike any Indian pipe I've ever seen. They tend to be very angular. For another, the iconography seems very near-Eastern to my eye. There are seven of those star-and-crescent symbols going round the bowl. That spoke to me of an Ottoman influence in the design, which the shape of the bowl seemed to confirm. Observe, three antique Ottoman bowls;

So I focused my search on Ottoman pipes, and this is one of the things google spit back out - a very similar decorative style;

You can search google for that image by right-clicking; when I click on it, it drops me onto an Etsy search page, so the actual listing is long gone.

 

[elbert]

Oh! Here's something - more info on that last pipe;
https://www.etsy.com/listing/519375040/pipe-old-ottoman-of-the-nineteenth-heath

 

[mawnansmiff]

Well researched Elbert, I think you have cracked it :clap:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[cortezattic]

I think he makes a convincing case. ::

 

[craiginthecorn]

I'll say! Ottoman it is! So, a bit north of the Middle East.
Thank You!!!

 

[craiginthecorn]

I have contacted the seller on Etsy to find out how she determined the age and origin of her pipe, but she's presently on vacation.

 

[elbert]

Glad to help! I'll be curious to see if you get a reply to that, Craig. She attributes that particular pipe to the collection of a Lyonese painter of the nineteenth century, so some documentation would certainly be interesting to see.

 

[madox07]

Ottoman ... so the pipe must be at least 100 years old. Now that's a find .. Or is it Ottoman Style?

 

[craiginthecorn]

My hunch is that the pipe is from the 1930s or earlier, but sometimes these handmade items can be deceiving.
I prefer the stem on her pipe over mine. I wonder if it's original. I think her asking price is quite reasonable, by the way. Mine will have a prominent position in my display case.
The inlay is very well executed. At first I was reluctant to try to clean it for fear of damaging the brass as I rubbed, but quickly learned that I had no reason to fear. My past experience has been with Swiss and German jeagerpfeifen with little metal badges affixed to the bowl with rusty nails. Those things feel like they're barely attached. This is very different. The inlay is sturdy and apparently deep. Really fine work.

 

[craiginthecorn]

I received a reply from the seller:

This pipe belonged to a painter from Lyon, Adolphe Appian, who lived from 1818 to 1898. It was part of his personal collection. I have done research on the internet and the only pipes resembling this one are those of Ottoman origin. I am glad to see another one because I really had difficulties to find a similar one.

 

[madox07]

Hmmmm ... this french painter is not a household name, but non the less does the seller have anything to prove this claim? Than again ... if the asking price is reasonable, there's not point in further stirring this up. Just buy it ...

 

[mawnansmiff]

Adolphe Appian: Landscape artist 1819 - 1898.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_Appian
Regards,
Jay.