Special purchase for Amsterdam museum

28 October 2016

The Amsterdam Pipe Museum made a special purchase at the well-known and frequently visited Tribal Art Fair in De Duif in Amsterdam. Ethnographic traders from the Netherlands and other countries come to De Duif every year with ethnological objects of good quality. The Amsterdam Pipe Museum bought a rare pipe on the very first day. It is a figural tobacco pipe in the shape of a saddled horse, made by the Indians in the Plains of Central America. The material they traditionally use for their pipes is catlinite, a fairly soft red stone that can be cut and polished smoothly. In addition to the well-known peace pipe, there is another but rare type of pipe with a horse head. Horses were precious to the Indian tribes and important for the bison hunt, which is why they were depicted on ceremonial objects. In this case, the saddle, in stylized design, is shown behind the horse's head. The pipe was purchased from an American gallery. No wonder that they are able to offer this fine piece, since such native American objects are rarely traded in Europe. The red stone pipe was made by the Sioux and is now sold from an American collection to an Amsterdam museum. Here in Amsterdam, the pipe is a fine addition to the ever growing sub-collection of pre-Columbian and native American pipes.

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