Pipe
date: label: Date
content: Mid-late 19th century
name: label: Maker
content: Xhosa artist
notes: label: Label Text
content: A great variety of wood pipes are found in the southeastern region of South Africa, particularly in the Transkei, and can generally be attributed to the Xhosa peoples. Often carved in the form of animals, humans or vehicles with spoked wheels, these pipes are given as wedding presents or as gifts to maintain social or kinship ties. They can become prized family heirlooms passed down from one generation to the next and are only used on special occasions.
label: Label Text
content: This example is particularly ornate with its carved and inlaid snake. It is fashioned after the Dutch stone pipes on which the stem and bowl are nearly at right angles, however this pipe is made from a hard wood that can be highly polished.
label: Label Text
content: The inlay decoration is created by carving patterns into the surface. Hot molten lead is poured into the carved areas. After cooling, the excess lead is removed and smoothed over with a knife.
label: Description
content: Wood pipe with high relief of a snake which extends along the stem and wraps around the bowl. Inlaid lead forms the pattern on the snake and the second snake on the pipe bowl.
label: Provenance
content: Private collection, London, ca. 1880-1910 to 1950s
label: Provenance
content: Private collection, London, 1950s to ca. 1993
label: Provenance
content: Kevin Conru, London, 1993 to 1994
label: Exhibition History
content: Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
label: Content Statement
content: As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
label: Image Requests
content: High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
place: label: Geography
content: South Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: snake
label: Topic
content: Tobacco
label: Topic
content: male
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African Art Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Museum purchase
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Object number
content: 94-7-1
objectType: label: Type
content: Sculpture
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Wood, lead, iron
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 5.5 x 13 x 4 cm (2 3/16 x 5 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.)