Wooden Pipe Day

25 mars 2025

At the invitation of Professor Hans Piena, we visited the CCNL today, the Collection Centre NetherLands, where the pipes and pipe cases from the Wiegersma collection were displayed. This general practitioner from Deurne in Brabant collected folk art objects almost a century ago. In 1956, his entire collection was purchased by the state. It was our pleasure to view the smoking-related objects and to learn what could be collected in this area in East Brabant at the time. Objects at the crossing of art, folk art and folk peculiarities, it was an educational visit.

Tefaf in Maastricht

16 mars 2025

Where smoking is increasingly being pushed back in society, we see the opposite at the most authoritative art fair in our country. During our tour of the renowned TEFAF in Maastricht, we visited two stands with remarkable smoking paraphernalia. The first is Eric Delalande from Paris, a long-time participant with exclusive collector's items including tobacology. This year he is showing a magnificent table pipe in meerschaum with a height of no less than eighty centimeters. Once made for a world exhibition in the 1870s, now the ultimate collector's item for every pipe lover. The second exhibitor is Serge Schoffel, a dealer in ethnography who made a good impression with a selection of African pipes from a Liège collection. He published a book especially on these pipes.

Ode to a smoking woman

8 mars 2025

This year, the Amsterdam Pipe Museum pays tribute to one woman who earned her own income from 1770 onwards, was known and loved in the highest circles of society, in fact, she completely overshadowed her husband. Her name is Élisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, a French woman from the late 18th century. In her time, she was a much sought-after portrait painter; she made about 700 of these. She was therefore able to live in luxury. Queen Marie-Antoinette was painted by Élisabeth no less than thirty times! Among her work we find many self-portraits. In one of them, she shows herself to be a truly self-confident woman: she smokes a pipe, absolutely not done for ladies of her standing. As an artist, she takes that liberty and even dares to show it! Rightly so: a strong woman. The portrait of Élisabeth Vigée with pipe can be seen in the Amsterdam Pipe Museum from 8 March, International Women's Day, until 8 November 2025.

Focus on Tea Drinkers

3 mars 2025

In our central display case, we will put the spotlight on a special porcelain pipe bowl for some weeks to come. This is a recent acquisition of the greatest sophistication. The pipe has a subtle relief of rocailles in the purest rococo style. A painting of a tea-drinking family has been applied to the flat field in the centre of this decoration. The dating of this precious pipe bowl corresponds to the heyday of the rococo, the 1730’s. In addition to this pipe, we are showing several similar models with equally lovely decorations, now with flowers in different styles. One of these is in typical Japanese painting style, with several branches in the so-called kakiemon style. These porcelain pipes can be seen from March 3^rd to May 4^th in the main room of the Amsterdam Pipe Museum.