From: Martin A. Lodahl <????????????????????????????????>
Subject: How Old Is This Pipe?

Atop the bookshelf next to my Smoking Chair is an old pipe, that's
been in my family a lot longer than I have.  My understanding has
always been that it belonged to my great-grandfather (a Civil War
veteran), which would make it a century or so old, but an article I
recently saw in passing has caused me to wonder if it isn't much
older.

The bowl is porcelein, long and graceful, with a hinged & vented cap
of what I take to be brass.  The bowl is decorated with a painting
(not, apparently, a decal) of a stag.  There is a joint below the
bowl that is also porcelein, and forms an acute angle, so the stem
points straight up when the bowl is upright.  The stem is of
unpeeled (cherry?) wood, about 10 inchel long, with a
flexible-appearing section of some woven fabric about 2 cm in
length.  Over that is a round, bent mouthpiece.  The bowl was
cracked many (50+) years ago, but the pipe was apparently felt to be
too valuable to discard.  Obviously, I don't smoke it, but the
residue in the bowl indicates it has been smoked, though probably
not in living memory.

The article I saw had a drawing of an identical pipe, which it
labeled a mid-17th century design!  Can it be that my ancestor
bought it as an antique?  Is there a kind and erudite reader of this
group who can shed some light on this?
						- Martin

= Martin A. Lodahl    Pac*Bell Minicomputer Operations Support Staff =
= {att,bellcore,sun,ames}!pacbell!pbmoss!mal            916/972-4821 =
= If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, =
= Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me!  8-)   =


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