Seasons' Greetings 2026

24 December 2025

This year we discovered a pipe from the rare Dutch porcelain factory Oud-Loosdrecht, which existed for only eight years, from 1774 to 1782. It is one of only two porcelain makers who ever worked in the Netherlands. No other book or museum mentions a pipe from Loosdrecht. The beetroot red color is typical of late eighteenth-century porcelain. With this unique addition to our museum collection, we wish all our readers a healthy and prosperous 2026.

Japanese kiseru for good luck

23 December 2025

Just before Christmas, an elaborately decorated Japanese pipe arrived in the mail, radiating wealth and good fortune. This is, in Japanese tradition, the meaning of the peony, the queen of flowers, so explicitly depicted on this pipe. The technique, known as takazogan, is both artistic and refined: pre-chased flowers in gold and red copper are set on a silver base. This is done in an invisible bond. We show only a detail of the rich decoration, spanning a length of over 18 cm. This pipe will be the last addition to our museum collection for the year 2025.

A South American pipe as a gift

22 December 2025

It was a great surprise when we received an exceptional pipe in the mail. It was sent by a visitor from six months ago. This pipe smoker from Argentina felt that a modern pipe from his home country could not be missed in our collection. A pipe maker friend made a pipe for us, but not from briar. This one is made from guaiuvira, a native tree found in the border region of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. Hard enough to smoke and uniquely designed with a smoke chamber in the second part to cool the smoke slightly. Even before the pipe has been entered into our collection database, you can see it pictured here. Perhaps there are other pipe makers who create something unique and would like to be represented in our museum collection? Let us know!