A pipe case with a special inscription

July 2017

At first glance, this object does not look like a special pipe case. With its wooden core adorned with brass decorations, it is interchangeable for the countless pipe cases that were made almost industrially in the eighteenth century. Yet two things stand out. The first is its short length. The case measures 21 centimeters in total, which means that a standard clay pipe does not fit. Apparently this pipe case was intended for someone who would rather smoke pipes with shorter stems. In addition, the decoration on this object is particularly interesting because the engraving in Dutch on the edge along the flap shows an text dedicated to tobacco. Freely translated, it reads: "Tobacco comes from distant lands, let's burn it in a pipe, that's how we smoke like a hero, but who doesn't smoke is not in count". Unlike our present anti-smoking feeling, this rhyme fits in with the great popularity of smoking in the eighteenth century. The engraved date of 1783 leaves no doubt about the date. This year is consistent with the period in which such pipe cases were generally in circulation. The good condition of this object proves that this object has been a showcase rather than a daily utensil. Only when impression had to be made, it was worn in the pocket to light a pipe elsewhere. That appears not to have happened very often.
Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 22.312

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