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The members of the Arbeitskreis Tonpfeifen
had their annual meeting from May 2 to May 4 2003 in Heidelberg.
The invitation, this year, had been launched by Renate Ludwig,
of the Archeology section of the Kurpfaelzisches Museum Heidelberg,
in collaboration with the Deutsche Apothekenmuseum. By the participation
of 45 members of seven countries (Germany, Switzerland, Austria,
Netherlands, France, Poland and Sweden), the meeting was the most
important and most international since the foundation of the working
group in 1989.
The development of the international contacts with the researchers
of other countries, accentuated by the creation of the quadrilingual
website (www.knasterkopf.de)
was particularly highlighted by this meeting.
Thus, for the first time, several members of the International Academy
of the Pipe participated. Mrs. Katarzyna Meyza represented the Historical
Museum of Warsaw, Arne Åkerhagen, from Sweden, brought the
salute of the Museum of the Tobacco and the Matches of Gubbhyllan,
with a communication on a Swedish seedling of tobacco.
Like the previous years, the first arriving took part in a joint
dinner, on the evening of May 1, during which discoveries were presented
and examined with animation.
Friday, May 2, the meeting was opened by Frieder Hepp, the director
of the Kurpfaelzisches Museum, and Mrs. Ludwig. Martin Kuegler,
of Goerlitz, welcomed in the name of the working group and presented
the issue number 16 of KnasterKOPF,
the review specialized for the clay pipes and the history of tobacco
which, with 208 pages, reached its greatest volume up to now, proving
the profitable work of its members. It is particularly devoted to
research on the clay pipe in Saxony and broadly reports about the
presentations of last year in Grimma (1).
The program was opened by Marita Pesenecker with many impressive
and moving images of the catastrophic flood of Grimma, in August
2002. This 'tide of the century' which occurred little after the
16th session (2), devastated the place of meeting
and destroyed forever the major part of the library. The working
group had launched a very effective call for help. Mrs. Pesenecker
cordially thanked those whose financial assistance and voluntary
services helped clearing.
Then, Manfred Benner, of Heidelberg, gave a richly documented outline
of the state of urban archaeological research in Heidelberg. He
made the connection between the most remote past and the current
time and thus presented at the working group the history of the
place of meeting.
M. Kuegler, of Goerlitz, first summarized the state of knowledge
about the clay pipes and the pipe craft industry in the upper
Rhine. He underlined the excellent level of the publications
for this part of Germany where the consumption of the tobacco using
clay pipes has been proven for a very remote time. Based on the
dates and the marks of manufacture noted on the discoveries and
in written sources, Frankenthal and Mannheim count among the oldest
centers of production of clay pipes in Germany. For Heidelberg also,
the use of the pipe in the town of residence of the Prince Elector
is attested by a very old mould going back to a time between 1619
and 1622 (3).
The research topic in the upper Rhine area was intensified
by the presentation of Michael Schmaedecke, of Liesthal/CH,
on his systematization of discovered floral decors made in this
area (4). He underlined the need for an imposed
general and uniform terminology to guarantee a correct treatment
of the discoveries. The beginning of the clay pipes can be allotted
to identified manufacturers of the 17th century.
In the continuation of the session, one passed from the relatively
well studied area of the upper Rhine to the 'white spot' which is
Bavaria on the map of research on the clay pipe. Natascha Mehler,
of Ingolstadt, submitted a report on her project of essay on the
archaeology of the clay pipe in Bavaria in the 17th century
and fixed the goals of her research and methodology. She presented
in an exemplary way some discoveries which testify to the broad
diffusion of the tobacco and also of the variety of the utensils
produced in Bavaria. She stressed the group already studied of the
pipes known as 'Jonaspfeifen' whose 468 fragments are available
up to now, mainly into Low and High-Bavaria, with at least 60 different
shapes.
Michaela Hermann, of Augsburg, talked about the "Bilderbaecker-Werkstatt"
of the monastery of Sts. Ulrich and Afra in Augsburg, which
is narrowly connected to the research on clay pipes. She presented
a recent archaeological complex of approximately 1500 clay figures
of the first half of the 16th century, all found in the same pit.
She highlighted the technological similarity of the manufacturing
process of these figures with that of the clay pipes and again raised
the question of the possible relations between the craft industry
of the 'manufacturers of images' and that of the 'manufacturers
of pipes'.
Thus the program of the first day finished, at the end of which
the participants had the occasion to present discoveries and new
literature within a casual framework. The evening began with a reception
offered by the town of Heidelberg under the auspices of Mister Kulturbuergermeister
Juergen Bess in the Blue Living Room of the Kurpfaelzisches Museum
and was completed in the merry hubbub of a joint meal in a medieval
atmosphere during which, up to some ungodly hour, discoveries were
presented and discussed with animation.
The second day the working group was devoted to a great excursion
dedicated to the culture of tobacco in the area as well as to the
archaeological heritages of Heidelberg. The first halt was for the
museum of the tobacco at Hockenheim, where Mr. Christ showed
the group round the very interesting collection. Then, the working
group visited the property of the family of growers of tobacco Wolfgang
Schaaff in Heddesheim. The host guided the group through the company
and the drying hangar of the sheets of tobacco, explained how the
seeds are produced and showed how the various selections are cultivated
in greenhouses.
Planter W. Schaaf with tobaccoplants
One returned then in Heidelberg, where Mr. Benner
explained in all the details and with a great scholarship the architectural
remainders of the Michaelskloster and of the Stephanskloster as
well as the Heidenloch. After a guided tour of the Heidelberger
Schloss, the working group was received in the Deutsche Apothekenmuseum.
The director of the museum, Elisabeth Huwer, showed an impressive
collection and gave to the participants the rare opportunity to
examine an original book of the 17th century with illustrations
of seedlings of tobacco. The evening was again brightened by a joint
meal full with spirit.
Trip to the Heiligenberg of Heidelberg
The morning of the last day of meeting, Sunday May 4, started with
spectacular results of research. Ralf Kluttig-Altmann, of
Leipzig, presented the latest and most original discoveries about
the production of clay pipes in Eastern Saxony (5).
For the first time, he succeeded in establishing, thanks to original
excavations, what up to now written sources evoked in a vague way,
but that one did not hold for technically possible: the production
of clay pipes on potter's wheels. The stems were formed separately
and then assembled subsequently. Obviously, clever craftsmen developed
an own technology on the basis of keen regional demand. This contribution
raised the question mentioned on different occasions about relations
between the craft industry of the potters and that of the pipe makers.
Hauke Kenzler, of Heuersdorf, spoke then about his excavations
in the cemetery of Breunsdorf in the district Leipziger Land
(6). He concentrated there on 13 modern tombs
of the 18th and 19th centuries, in which the deceased were provided
with their familiar porcelain and clay pipes. In some cases, it
was possible to know exactly when these objects had been deposited
thanks to the dates of the tombs.
Katarzyna Meyza, of Warsaw, submitted a report on the
captivating discovery, in the old district of Warsaw, two potter
kilns, in which clay pipes were also manufactured as one can show
it (7). The production was limited to pipes
of the Ottoman type (narghilehs). It is the first indication on
a manufacture of this type of pipe in Central Europe and finally
one of the rare proof of the manufacture of clay pipes in Poland.
With the knowledge from now on acquired on the manufacture of such
pipes in neighbouring Poland, it will be necessary from now on to
reinterrogate the similar results of excavations in Germany.
It is under the angle of the history of art that Daniel Schulz,
of Bamberg, devoted himself to the topic of the clay pipes and presented
red chalk drawings created during the phase of construction of the
castle of Ludwigsburg, in Wuerttemberg, between 1725 and 1733, and
that works of restoration put in the light of the day (8).
Craftsmen come from Croatia to take part in the construction are
represented there in a pleasant way while smoking. The drawings
are thus invaluable original sources of an unusual human authenticity.
Heinz-Peter Mielke, of Grefrath, briefly submitted a report
on the clay pipes of Bossano del Grappa, in Italy. There, pipe bowls
of the 'Wiener Kaffeehaus' type were manufactured out of reddening
clay at a time when the majority of manufactures had ceased existing
in Europe for a long time.
The last lecture of the meeting applied to wooden pipes. Rainer
Immensack, of Hofheim Diedenbergen, showed some examples of grained
wood pipes from Ulm. Those started already at the end of the 17th
century and enjoyed a supraregional large popularity, until they
were finally outplayed by the Meissner porcelain pipes on the market.
The lecture was illustrated with brought along Ulmer grained wood
pipes.
To finish, M. Kuegler summarized the results of the meeting, returned
to the important recent publications and announced that the next
appointments would take place in Lunebourg in 2004 and in Erding
in 2005. The two meetings will be accompanied by exhibitions
on the topic of tobacco and clay pipes. For the annual numbers of
KnasterKOPF, editors R. Kluttig-Altmann and M. Kuegler suggested
to proceed by topics. The reinforced research of the last
years has accumulated new knowledge about the clay pipes which now
makes more intensive and more targeted study possible of particular
questions. Temporarily four thematic issues are projected, which
should be created in dialogue by colleagues belonging to all the
disciplines. The topics are: discovered clay pipes in the tombs,
clay pipes in immersed sites, clay pipes on the world market, and
relations between potters and pipe makers. For these thematic issues,
they already have some local and foreign contributions but other
archaeological articles and reports will be welcomed.
In conclusion, M. Kuegler in the name of the working group thanked
all those, lecturers and assistants, and particularly Mrs. Ludwig
and Mr. Hepp, director of the Museum, who contributed to the perfect
organization in a friendly environment which the participants will
keep in their minds.
Natascha Mehler M.A., Römisch Germanische
Kommission der Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Forschungsstelle
Ingolstadt, Jesuitenstraße 3, 85049 Ingolstadt
Dr. Martin Kügler, Arbeitskreis Tonpfeifen, Bergstraße
3, 02826 Görlitz
(1) Table of contents and summary of every presentation available
on Internet www.knasterkopf.de.
(2) Martin Kügler/Maren Weidner: 16. Treffen des Arbeitskreises
Tonpfeifen in Grimma. In: Knasterkopf,
Bd. 16/2003, S. 6 ff.
(3) Martin Kügler: Ein Tonpfeifenmodel aus Heidelberg - ein
frühes Zeugnis für die Herstellung von
Tonpfeifen in Deutschland? In: Zeitschrift
für Archäologie des Mittelalters, Bd. 29/2001, S. 207-218.
(4) Michael Schmaedecke: Floral verzierte Pfeifenstiele aus Südwestdeutschland
und angrenzenden
Regionen. Ansätze zu einer Systematisierung
von Produkten vornehmlich aus dem Raum
Mannheim/Frankenthal. In: Knasterkopf,
Bd. 15/2002, S. 19-35. Ders.: Floral verzierte Pfeifen mit
Herstellerangaben aus Fundkomplexen
des südlichen Oberrheins. In: Knasterkopf,
Bd. 16/2003,
S. 69-87.
(5) Ralf Kluttig-Altmann/Martin Kügler: Bewegung in Sachsen.
Ein Beitrag zur Emanzipation der deutschen
Tonpfeifenforschung. In: Knasterkopf,
Bd. 16/2003, S. 88-98.
(6) Hauke Kenzler: Der Friedhof von Breunsdorf - Untersuchungen
zum Totenbrauchtum in Mittelalter und
Neuzeit. In: Kirche und Friedhof von
Breunsdorf. Beiträge zu Sakralarchitektur und Totenbrauchtum
einer ländlichen Siedlung. Bd.
2, Dresden 2002, S. 147-300.
(7) Katarzyna Meyza: Clay Tobacco Pipes from the Royal Castle and
Old Town in Warsaw, Poland. In:
Centre-Region-Periphery. Medieval
Europe Basel 2002. 3rd InternationalConference of Medieval and
Later Archaeology, Basel 10.-15. September
2002. Preprinted Papers Vol. 3. Hertingen 2002, S. 340-
345
(8) Daniel Schulz: Smoking - No Smoking. Pfeifenraucher in Schloss
Ludwigsburg, Württemberg. In:
Knasterkopf,
Bd. 16/2003, S. 154-159.
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