Clay tobacco pipe, Paris, France, 1840-1910

Clay tobacco pipe, tip of mouthpiece missing, bowl in form of skull, glass eye, one missing, nose bone, teeth touched up in white, short carved wood stem, by Gambier of Paris, French 1840-1910

Shaped like a skull with glass eyes and white teeth, the bowl of the pipe was stuffed with shredded tobacco, lit and smoked. Like many other tobacco pipes made by Gambier of Paris (one of the largest manufacturers of tobacco pipes from the 1850s onwards), this example is carved from clay and has a short wooden stem.