Description: Original Case, Marked Real Meerschaum & Amber, Austria; Leatherette Case.

History: The first recorded use of meerschaum for making pipes was around 1723 and quickly became prized as the perfect material for providing a cool, dry, flavorful smoke. The porous nature of meerschaum draws moisture and tobacco tar into the stone. Meerschaum became a premium substitute for the clay pipes of the day and remains prized to this day, though since the mid-1800s briar pipes have become the most common pipes for smoking. When smoked, meerschaum pipes gradually change color, and old meerschaums will turn incremental shades of yellow, orange, red, and amber from the base on up. When prepared for use as a pipe, the natural nodules are first scraped to remove the red earthy matrix, then dried, again scraped and polished with wax. The crudely shaped masses thus prepared are turned and carved, smoothed with glass-paper, heated in wax or stearine, and finally polished with bone-ash, etc.

Provenance: Whitenack Estate of Naples, Florida

Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 0.14 | Height(in) = 5.5 | Width(in) = 3 | Depth(in) = 1.75

Size of Artwork(in): 4.5 x 2"

Artist Name: Unknown

Medium: Meerschaum

Circa: C. 1900

Stem has a clean break with tiny losses along the break. Has been glue repaired.