Pipe whimsey with three bowls
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 is a rare and complex example with three pipe bowls.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pipe whimsey with three bowls
- Date: ca. 1790–1820
- Culture: British, Staffordshire
- Medium: Prattware (glazed earthenware)
- Dimensions: 12 in. (30.5 cm)
- Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
- Credit Line: Partial and Promised Gift of Frances F. Bretter and Leo D. Bretter, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.87.8
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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