A hard rubber cigar holder

décembre 2010

In the second half of the nineteenth century, caoutchouc or hard rubber became popular in the pipe industry. In addition to mouthpieces, it is also used for complete cigar holders. These can be made in this material because the last part of the cigar butt is so saturated with tar and nicotine that it is never completely smoked. As a result, the cigar holder does not come into contact with the fire and that shouldn’t do either, because para rubber is flammable. If it catches fire it gives off a very dirty greasy fume. The design of this holder is inspired by the popular meerschaum cigar holder, the horn-shaped pipe into which the cigar is inserted, decorated on the stem with a galloping horse in high relief. For this article, as we can see, not something original was chosen, but rather the most clichéd. Horses in the trot are simply the most commonly made. The manufacture of para rubber pipes took place both in France with Saint-Claude as the main city, and in Germany, where Ruhla is the most important town. Attributing these unmarked pipes to a specific maker or factory is extremely difficult.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 20.378

Archives des objets du mois