MEMENTO MORI PIPE, 19TH CENTURY

Antique 19th-century pipe carved in the form of a human skull, made of finely worked meerschaum (sepiolite). The object belongs to the memento mori tradition, still present in the material culture of Europe at that time, and reflects a direct, non-decorative relationship to the representation of death.

The skull displays a restrained and controlled carving, with balanced volumes and clearly legible anatomical details. The surface has developed an old patina, with pronounced darkening at the bowl, resulting from genuine and prolonged use. The whole retains a dense and silent presence, characteristic of objects conceived for use rather than ornament.

The pipe is mounted on an antique bamboo stem, paired with a mouthpiece in natural horn. The materials, construction, and wear are homogeneous and coherent, with no trace of restoration or modern intervention.

Pipes of this type are rarely preserved complete. The fragility of the material, intensive use, and the frequent replacement of stems or mouthpieces explain the rarity of intact ensembles. This example retains its antique bamboo stem as well as its natural horn mouthpiece, forming a homogeneous and coherent whole, without trace of restoration or modern intervention. By its rarity, integrity, and symbolic charge, it naturally finds its place within a cabinet of curiosities, alongside objects that question death, time, and the human condition.

PERIOD : 19th century
DIMENSION : 15 cm
SIZE : 5.9"