A MEERSCHAUM PIPE WITH A HAT-SHAPED HEAD
Possibly Vienna, Austria, late 19th - early 20th century

The head made of sepiolite and carved into the shape of a curved, wide-brimmed hat, with a screwed-in amber mouthpiece, mounted on a custom-made black metal stand, 17cm long excluding the stand.

Meerschaum pipes embody the flourishing mercantile and artistic exchanges occurring between the Ottoman Empire and the West throughout the 19th century. The material they are made of, sepiolite or Meerschaum in German (seafoam), was often found floating in the Black Sea, where it was fished by Turkish fishermen. Dried and roughly carved Turkish Meerschaum products would then enter the mercantile routes towards Europe and often end in manufacturing centres of renowned fame, such as Vienna. Sadly, the Austrian production terminated in the 1970s, when Turkey banned the exportation of Meerschaum nodules, founf set up and foster an exclusive localised industry. The once famous manufacturers have since disappeared and European pipe producers turned to other sources for their pipes.