Mini-expo Calabashes for Sherlock

29 October 2017

On the occasion of the appearance of Sherlock Holmes in our museum during the #Museum Night, we organize a mini-exhibition under the title Calabashes for Sherlock. In a table display case a series of tobacco pipes are shown that in principle could have been smoked by Sherlock Holmes. Characteristic of his pipe is that the pipe bowl is built into the top of a gourd, a specific fruit. Because the opening is wide, a meerschaum insert is made for the bowl. Calabash pipes were mounted with stems of amber, hard rubber or plastic. Silver settings give the luxurious look to these pipes. The calabash pipe owes its popularity mainly to its user comfort. The smoke is pleasantly cooled by the hollow interior space in the gourd. Unfortunately, we cannot offer that smoking experience in our mini-exhibition, that is on view till the end of December.

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