Antique Carved Meerschaum Pipe Giovanni Cadoni, Livorno, Italy, Circa 1880s

Description

Antique Carved Meerschaum Pipe
Giovanni Cadoni, Livorno, Italy, Circa 1880s
Sepiolite, also known in English by the German name meerschaum (meaning "sea foam"), is a soft white clay mineral, often used to make tobacco pipes (known as meerschaum pipes). Originally named meerschaum by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1788, it was named sepiolite by Ernst Friedrich Glocker in 1847 for an occurrence in Bettolino, which is in the Piedmont region of Italy. The name comes from Greek sepion, meaning "cuttlebone" (the porous internal shell of the cuttlefish), + lithos, meaning stone, after a perceived resemblance of this mineral to cuttlebone. Because of its low specific gravity and its high porosity, it may float upon water, hence its German name. It is sometimes found floating on the Black Sea and rather suggestive of sea-foam, hence the German origin of the name.
Meerschaum has occasionally been used as a substitute for soapstone, fuller's earth, and as a building material; but its chief use is for smoking pipes and cigarette holders. The first recorded use of meerschaum for making pipes was around 1723 and quickly became prized as the perfect material for providing a cool, dry, flavorful smoke. The porous nature of meerschaum draws moisture and tobacco tar into the stone. Meerschaum became a premium substitute for the clay pipes of the day and remains prized to this day, though since the mid-1800s briar pipes have become the most common pipes for smoking.
When smoked, meerschaum pipes gradually change color, and old meerschaums will turn incremental shades of yellow, orange, red, and amber color from the base on up. When prepared for use as a pipe, the natural nodules are first scraped to remove the red earthy matrix, then dried, again scraped and polished with wax. The crudely shaped masses thus prepared are turned and carved, smoothed with glass-paper, heated in wax or stearine, and finally polished with bone-ash, etc.
This pipe, as indicated on the inside of the case, was made by Giovanni Cadoni of Livorno, Italy. We have been unable to find much information on this pipe maker. This pipe includes the black leathercovered case. The inside of the case is lined with a red, silky material on the top part and red velvet on the bottom part. The pipe and its ornamentation fits snugly in the case.
The pipe consists of the body which includes the finely-carved figurine of a saddled but riderless horse. The body is a dull white color. The stem is a translucent orange and brown mottled color (probably amber), with the tip missing. The third part is the cheroot bowl, which nests into the pipe bowl. There is a wreath carved around the base of the bowl. The top of the bowl is a horseshoe. A horseshoe also is used to stabilize the horse under the center, and the open ends of the horseshoe attach to the body.
The pipe is about 5-1/2" long with the mouthpiece end of the stem missing. It is about 1-1/8" wide at the maximum width point; and the maximum height is about 2-1/8". The case is about 8" long, 2-3/4" wide, and 1-1/4" thick (maximums).
This pipe is in fairly good condition considering its age. In addition to the missing piece from the stem, the stem is loose on the body. The tenon has been wrapped with a silky white thread, but it does not secure the mortise well. There is a crack in the body by the horse's right rear leg and next to the left side of the horseshoe. Both of the horse's rear legs have cracks above the ankles. The three cracks appear to have been glued back together. The case is in fair condition, with about a 1" long piece of leather missing from the top corner at the wide part of the case. Otherwise, the leather shows the effects of age and use. The hinges and latch are in good working condition. The lining inside the case is in good condition, except for a small tear at the edge by the transition from the wide part of the case to the narrow part. Please see the photos.