Seated woman

avril 2025

The pipes of the Xhosa in the eastern Cape in South Africa have a fixed design: a high, slightly oval bowl with a kind of heel shape at the transition of the stem. The straight stem goes up at an angle of sixty to eighty degrees. This stem has a trumpet shape at the end into which the smoker inserts his or her own mouthpiece. That separate stem end is personal and almost sacred. Acacia wood is often used as a type of wood, whereby two pipes are always formed from one single piece of wood. Each pipe shows great craftsmanship, as is evident for example from the thin bowl wall. In the nineteenth century version of a Xhosa pipe depicted here we still recognize the high bowl, but now as the basis for an exceptional design. The torso of a seated woman is carved from the wood block, who sticks both legs out at the bowl base. The beautiful styling is extremely subtle, simple and attractive. The protruding leg section also makes handling the pipe a pleasure. This Xhosa pipe is decorated with lead inlay, as is sometimes done. Three partly serrated bands around the neck, chest and belly give a decorative effect. The stem end is provided with a buffalo horn cuff, which makes the pipe extra strong when assembled. The pipe is more luxurious than usual, even in this respect.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 30.057

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