Tobacco pipe "Stummel", stem and mouthpiece, Manufacture of MEISSEN Germany, c. 1850.

Tobacco pipe "Stummel", stem and mouthpiece, Manufacture of MEISSEN Germany, c. 1850.
Enameled porcelain, wood and shaft.
It has slight restorations.
Piece reproduced in "A complete guide to collecting antique pipes", by Benjamin Rapaport, p. 131, f. 13.
Provenance: Collection of Jean-Charles Rhein.
Measurements: 15 x 6 x 2 cm; 31 cm (length).
Tobacco pipe with wooden stem and porcelain bowl. The aesthetics of the piece are very reminiscent of the style popularized by the German manufacture of Meissen. It was the first European factory to produce authentic porcelain. The manufacture was started by the scientist Ehrenfried Walther von Tchirnhaus in 1708, and after his untimely death his work was continued by Joahnn Friedrich Böttger, who remained practically imprisoned on the factory premises in order to protect the secret of the porcelain formula. Meissen porcelain production began in 1710, one year after the manufactory was founded by Augustus the Strong, and soon achieved great fame throughout Europe.
The most famous shape of the porcelain tobacco pipe is the so-called stummel, an oval bowl with a domed heel and a short mouthpiece. The shape was copied from the Gouda clay pipe, but the assembly is completely different, as a long porcelain mouthpiece is not possible. Therefore, these pipes were placed in a buffalo horn or porcelain humidity chamber and then mounted with a vertical mouthpiece of wood or horn.
The stummel is well suited for painting and it is amazing the level of development that painting on porcelain has reached. Since its inception in 1780, meticulous paintings were created, all by hand. Subjects include portraits, gallant depictions, topography and historical scenes. The Meissen factory seems to be the pioneer in the creation of these painted bowls, characterized by endless tufts applied with a fine brush. At the Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur in Berlin, the painting was done with even more realistic realism, resulting in impressive miniature paintings on bowls. To enhance the effect of a real painting, the images were framed with gold leaf. Contemporary prints were used as examples to paint topical subjects that appealed to the consumer of the time. Since the painters worked from the prints, we often see the colors of the scenes differ completely.
The pipe was so common that in many circles it was customary to give a bowl as a gift. In the most prized examples, the subject of the painting matched the interest of the recipient. The names of the donor and the recipient were often read on the back. Especially for students, it was common to paint a family crest as a pipe gift.