Groom's pipe in wall cabinet

May 2008

The habit of offering a groom's pipe during the wedding day was an important event, especially in the Dutch countryside. At the party that followed the official wedding, friends of the groom offered a nicely stitched up clay pipe. It was smoked for the first time during the wedding party. After the wedding the couple ordered a wall cabinet from the local carpenter that was hung in the best room as a reminder of the happy day. It was often common for the pipe to be smoked again on the anniversary of the wedding. This example comes from the Achterhoek and shows the bridal bouquet as well as the groom's pipe. That custom came into being at the end of the nineteenth century and remained in use until about 1930. At that time, many cabinets were made by a carpentry factory and therefore have the same appearance. However, this example is a one-off made by a local craftsman. Nice here is the carving on the frame mentioning the initials of the spouses and the year of marriage. The year of origin corresponds to the light art deco characteristics. Specifically here is that the numbers and letter are incised and that turned buttons are applied. These are the characteristics of a specific carpenter. That it is a kind of folk art is shown by the wood imitation painting of the cabinet that is reminiscent of mahogany but painted over simple pine.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 19.207

Archive object of month