Michael Lake
Head of Department
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Lot 221Ф,Y
A very large and impressive silver mounted Meerschaum pipe made by Benjamin Barling for the Great Exhibition of 1851
15 – 16 February 2022, 10:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge£5,000 - £6,000
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A very large and impressive silver mounted Meerschaum pipe made by Benjamin Barling for the Great Exhibition of 1851
the award winning pipe with an elaborately decorated bowl carved in high relief with a detailed scene depicting a stag hunt with figures of huntsmen in 18th century dress, hounds and a fallen stag, the underside near the detachable pipe stem carved in lower relief with a standing stag, the bowl cover with recumbent stag finial and plain tablet with stamped makers marks, BB and date letter Q for London 1851, and further marks B BARLING, LONDON and REGISTERED JAN24 1851 , the clasp formed as a hunting horn, the pipe stem collar mount with vine entwined handle and foliate cartouche above a naturalistic base cast with a model of a hound on its scent, the briar wood pipe stem with horn and ivory connecting lower collar and turned horn, silver and amber mouthpiece, the 20th century display stand with applied printed card makers label reading MADE IN 1851 and Barling, London 1812, later covered, together with a 1970's/80's catalogue for Barling showing the 1851 Great Exhibition pipe and their extensive range of modern pipes, the pipe 54.5cm high overall including stem and mouthpiece
Footnotes
The inside leaf of the accompanying Barling catalogue reads The Barling Family were English Silversmiths and many of the fine silver mountings on pipes favoured by smokers at the end of the 18th Century bore the mark of Barling. In 1812 Benjamin Barling took premises in Golden Square, London and achieved his greatest ambition-to carve, and complement with his unique silver mountings, Meerschaum pipes which later won award at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Today the Barling tradition captures the finest elegance of both Bruyere and Meerschaum pipes -pipes possessed by connoisseurs and dedicated pipe smokers throughout the world.
Meerschaum pipes are made from the mineral sepiolote. The word itself means 'sea foam' in German. The material was first used in the early 18th century for pipes and it was prized as an ideal material for making smoke flavourful, cool and dry. When smoked a meerschaum pipe gradually changes colour from shades of yellow through to red and amber
Please note that from 19 January 2022, items containing ivory cannot be imported into the EU. The import of ivory into the USA is already prohibited.