In memory of Helperi Kimm
30 septembre 2017
Last night a commemorative dinner was organized in the famous Amsterdam Hotel Schiller for Tiemen Helperi Kimm who passed away last January. Kimm, for many years secretary of the board of Royal Niemeyer Tobacco, was appointed director of the Nautical Museum and Niemeyer Tobacco Museum in 1981. He rearranged the collection, originally created by Brongers, focusing more on the typical Dutch smoking culture. During dinner fragments of the many TV and film shots of the deceased showed the passion and dedication of this remarkable personality. Over the past years Kimm wrote his opus magnum, a detailed book on the relation of ancient Rome with the Germanic tribes in North-West Europe.
PermalinkMastro de Paja back in the Netherlands
25 septembre 2017
Italy delivers since many years the top in pipe design, thanks to a group of artisans that produce the most magnificent free-hands and quality serials. This week we met again Alberto Montini, designer at the famous pipe workshop Mastro de Paja in Pesaro (It.). For a few years he took four historic pipes from our collection to recreate into new briar pipes. Unfortunately this well-known pipe maker is no longer represented in Dutch shops. Thanks to our direct contact a new series of high grade pipes is now available in our pipe shop.
PermalinkLuther and Dutch history
22 septembre 2017
Two exhibitions opened this week in both of which our museum gave objects in loan. For the first, an exhibition on 400 years Luther, the founder of Protestantism, we lend a pipe tamper with depiction of Pope-Devil. This theme illustrates the resistance to the Catholic church that formed the base of the Reformation movement of Luther. The second exhibit is a tobacco pipe with the portrait of William of Orange, founder of the Dutch Republic during the 16th Century, for the exhibition on the highlights of Dutch history. In case you would like to see our objects in their new context: “Luther” is shown in Utrecht until 28 January 2018, “Dutch history” in Open Air Museum Arnhem for the coming years!
PermalinkVoluntary team dinner
14 septembre 2017
Today we had the annual dinner with our voluntary guides. Of course there is no better place than the main room of our museum, surrounded by the collection of pipes. On the big centre table a multi-course menu was served that enabled our team to socialize in a relaxing atmosphere. We hope that everyone is physically and emotionally strengthened to have again many unexpected and interesting encounters with our museum visitors.
PermalinkUnsmoked from an Antwerp shop
3 septembre 2017
From the descendants of the former Moeremans pipe shop in Antwerp, closed already since the 1970’s, we recently bought a series of twentieth century pipes executed in pure Belgian taste. It is extraordinary that these pipes have been stored away somewhere before 1940, when the pipes were new, untouched and never been unpacked since. So, this series of pipes is still in mint condition, showing the Belgian taste of the first half of the 20th Century. The illustrated case with four briars has been made by a so-far unknown Belgian maker in a typical Belgian 1930’s design. The lining of the case in fake fur is even more Belgian semi-luxurious. This is an unexpected addition to the pipe smoking culture we try to assemble in our collection.
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