French pipes in the picture

28 July 2022

This week our camera is in the depot of Musée Sandelin in the northern French city of Saint-Omer. Stationed there, we are working on an inventory of the famous collection of pipes belonging to the descendants of the Duméril company. This material was bequeathed to the museum in 1909 and since then hardly anything has been done with it. That's a shame because the designs of these pipes are phenomenal, and on top of that the collection itself is really extensive. If all goes well, we will soon publish the most interesting part of this sub collection on our site www.pipeportal.eu. In doing so we hope that this special group will be rescued from oblivion.

Ulmer Kloben

15 July 2022

This week, the changing display case in the centre of the museum room is filled with a group of six Ulmer Kloben. These are pipes that have been added to our collection relatively recently, but have not yet been seen by anyone. They come from a renowned German collection. What binds the pipes, in addition to the similarity in shape, is the beautiful red-brown burr walnut wood and the impressive decoration with silver fittings in relief. At the time, they were the status of the proud owners who flaunted them on Sundays and holidays. That custom has now passed for a century and they have become full-fledged museum pieces. Come and have a look and convince yourself of its unexpected beauty.

Pipes from Ouagadougou

12 July 2022

An interesting group of pipes has been added to the collection this week. They were bought in 1978 by a Dutch engineer in Ouagadougou in Upper Volta. These are common pipes from that area, purchased at the time at the local antique market, the marché des antiguetés. Pictured is one of the specimens made of local clay with kneaded nubs all around, covered with a matte-gloss reddish engobe. With a bowl height of almost nine centimeters, this is the largest pipe in the series. After more than forty years, the pipes have now been handed over to the museum, fortunately with the provenance details.

Closed for promotion

7 July 2022

Antoon Ott, lawyer and art historian, but also chairman of the Pijpenkabinet Foundation, will get his PhD title today in the Jacobijnerkerk in Leeuwarden. His historical dissertation is a biography of the twentieth-century collector Nanne Ottema, who fought for the preservation of Frisian culture during his lifetime. The commercial edition, which is available from now on, promises to be a wonderful reading book for those interested in collecting and the ups and downs of Dutch museums. Today our museum is closed due to the promotion, from tomorrow we will talk about Mr.dr. Antoon Ott.