Church windows with a date

December 2021

It is not so long ago that this type of pipe with its high polygonal bowl and all over painting of church windows was attributed to the royal porcelain factory of Meissen and was considered to be eighteenth century. We now know better. Morgenroth's standard work on porcelain pipes from 1989 indicated the correct production location, but few collectors noticed this. It appears to be a typical product made in the town of Pirkenhammer in Bohemia by the Fischer & Reichenbach factory founded in 1803. This means that these polygonal pipe bowls do not origin from the Rococo but from the Biedermeier period and are not Saxon but Bohemian. The Pirkenhammer factory was known for producing this type, but rarely put a mark on their pipes. The hexagonal or octagonal bowls, available in two paint schemes, became a rage. Fischer & Reichenbach introduced the Gothic motif on porcelain. The dark variant as this one, it is painted with historic stone walls alternated by Gothic church windows, whether or not interspersed with church statues or, as here, knight figures. The windows offer a view over a mountain landscape with fantasy castles, something to dream away. In addition, more transparent versions exist with a white background and bright color painting, usually with more gold leaf. This pipe pops out through one aspect. In the narrow space between the bowl and the stem, the porcelain decorator unobtrusively painted the year 1832. With this unique addition, it is the only dated tobacco pipe of this kind from Bohemia. This tobacco pipe with its typical silver hinged lid and silver mounted stem with original locking cord is a beautifully preserved example. The painted year makes it datable and therefore unique.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 24.322

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