RARE 19TH CENTURY BURMESE STONEWARE TOBACCO PIPE — EXCEPTIONAL DECORATION
Offered here is a striking antique Burmese (present-day Myanmar) stoneware tobacco pipe, believed to date to the 19th century. This is a genuine old smoking artifact with wonderful character, craftsmanship and surface patina.
The pipe is molded from dark brown/gray stoneware and features deeply impressed decorative work throughout, including repeating leaf/petal motifs around the bowl, large stylized botanical designs along both sides, and multiple concentric bands surrounding the bowl and stem.
Research uncovered museum-cataloged Burmese stoneware tobacco pipes dating from approximately 1750–1900 with remarkably similar construction and decorative elements.
The short integral stem, deep smoking chamber, lower airway and molded stoneware construction are characteristic of traditional Burmese tobacco pipes.
This piece has sometimes been described as an opium pipe, but research indicates that identification is unlikely. Traditional Chinese opium pipes normally used a specialized detachable bowl designed for vaporizing prepared opium. This example has the deep combustion chamber and airway associated with tobacco smoking.
The pipe remains remarkably intact for its age, displaying expected surface wear, deposits, discoloration and patina consistent with an old utilitarian object. It has not been aggressively cleaned, preserving the character of the surface.
A beautiful piece of 19th-century Southeast Asian material culture and an unusual addition to a collection of antique pipes, Burmese/Myanmar artifacts, Asian folk art or ethnographic objects.
Approximate Period: 19th Century
Origin: Burma / present-day Myanmar
Material: Stoneware / fired ceramic
Type: Tobacco smoking pipe
Decoration: Molded botanical/leaf and geometric motifs
Condition: Antique condition with age-related wear and patina as pictured.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they are an important part of the description.
A scarce, highly decorative survivor with considerably more presence in hand than its small size suggests.
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