Pipe Whimsey

British, Staffordshire

Not on view

Pipe whimseys, also called puzzle pipes, were made by Staffordshire potters in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They were said to have been made at the end of the day, with leftover pieces of clay. Though tobacco could be smoked from the pipes, they were primarily intended as decorative pieces of “whimsy,” objects made to stir the imagination and stimulate the mind. This example has the date 1809 and the initials D.G., which may refer either to the pipe’s maker or recipient.

Pipe Whimsey, Prattware (glazed earthenware) with underglaze blue, enamel, and luster decoration, British, Staffordshire

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Pipe Whimsey, Prattware (glazed earthenware) with underglaze blue, enamel, and luster decoration, British, Staffordshire
Pipe Whimsey, Prattware (glazed earthenware) with underglaze blue, enamel, and luster decoration, British, Staffordshire

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