Ulmer double bowl

mai 2026

A real technical masterpiece is this special pipe with two pipe bowls next to each other, connected to a single stem. This creation clearly shows that a craftsman was at work, who produced beautiful thin wood carving with a refined decoration on the visible side. On both pipe bowls we see a shield: on the left bowl it shows a family crest with four quarters crowned by two helmets and on the right a beautiful monogram under a heraldic crown, all within a pure rococo frame. Both motifs are surrounded by stylized foliage that encloses a dotted background. The foliage continues along the underside of the stem and even up along the stem to the cuff. This type of pipe, usually with a single bowl, is known from the area around Ulm in southern Germany. The drawing of the decoration is certainly skilled and pure in style, but the execution could have been more powerful. It seems that the carver had difficulty giving the decoration sufficient relief. That is why he has emphasized the contours while roughening the background. At the same time, the curls and lines are rounded off too much and the decoration loses clarity. An interesting question that still arises is: how did a double-bowled pipe actually smoke? Judging by the carbon deposits in the pipe bowls, this pipe has been in use for a long time. When one bowl has gone out and the other is still burning, this complex pipe must have given an unpleasant false draft.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 30.675

 

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