Show piece from a pipe shop

July 2011

For years, the pipe factory of Martinus Nicolaas van Duijn was established on the Pepergracht in Gouda, a small company like there were many factories in Gouda for centuries. In 1885 Martinus had taken over the company from his father's legacy and continued the ancestral craft for forty years. At such small workshops, the actual pipe shop, workshop and family home merged. The store was located on the street with two shop windows on either side of the front door. The shop window advertised the sale of pipes for passers-by, smokers and tourists. There was a small counter in the store with supplies on a shelf behind. This three-bowled tobacco pipe comes from the shop window of Van Duijn, where, in addition to conventional pipes, there were also a few curiosities, show pieces to better advertise the business. This three-headed pipe was such an eye-catcher of which we do not know whether it was also in regular sales or was made just once for show only. When the company was dissolved in 1925, this pipe remained with the family as a souvenir, along with some pipe-making tools. Only a generation later did it change ownership and end up in a collection. This object has been miraculously preserved and, believe it or not, it is the only presentation pipe that remains of all the show pieces that were ever decorating Gouda pipe-shops. Of course, this is due to the high fragility of these types of curiosities. We will keep it safe for the next period.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 20.543

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