Stunning kakiemon style

October 2025

In the Japanese potteries in the Arita region, a decor was developed in the seventeenth century, characterized by delicate branches with sparse flowers in a unique asymmetrical style. This painting style is called kakiemon and because of the great transparency and unexpected flower branch pattern, this fashion quickly became popular worldwide. It will come as no surprise that this fame led to imitation. The porcelain pipe bowl depicted here shows this kakiemon style. However, it is a pipe made in the famous Königlichen Sächsischen Porzellan-Manufaktur in Meissen, dating from around the year 1730. Although the inspiration unmistakably lay in the decor of the East, we can clearly see European influences. Where the branches in the Japanese kakiemon are exceptionally transparent, partly leafless and with a whimsical design, the European version is more closely related to the colorful floral bouquets of other Meissen decors with more flower and leaf work. Furthermore, the use of bright colors suits the taste of the European market. These bright but unrealistic colours - note for example the leaves in a blue tint - betray Japanese inspiration, but in the execution we search in vain for the convincing Japanese identity. It remains a truly European object, but because of the wonderful mix, it is extremely rare in its kind.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 30.432

Stylized man on horseback

October 2025

You have to look at this lavishly decorated pipe twice before you know how the bowl is attached to the stem. It is an ingenious design by the Sotho, a sub-people of the Xhosa from the eastern part of South Africa. As is customary there, the pipe is made of acacia wood with a dark brown color, but in rare cases we see a hint of lighter shades towards yellow. In this pipe, this is clearly visible around the hooves of the standing horse. In the pipe bowl, hidden between the neck of the quadruped and the rider, we recognize the tribe's signature light oval shape. To protect the wood from burning, a wafer-thin sheet of iron lining has been applied to the inside. After the carving of the figures, inlay work with lead was added. This was done by cutting out the surface and filling it with liquid lead, then removing the excess with a knife. The meaning of this lead work is certainly not clear. In addition to two animal figures and some geometric patterns, a few curls are scattered over the bowl. The most attractive thing about this tobacco pipe, however, is the special stylization of rider and horse. Note the stylized head of the animal and especially the depiction of the rider with his wonderful geometrically shaped head with two beads as fixation points. With the omission of details, a convincing rider has still been created, a remarkable achievement!

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 30.967