pipe bowl (pipe (narcotics & intoxicants: smoking))

Pipe bowl for smoking opium. There are five small stamps with inscriptions on the base of the object. Two give the full name of a female 洪蓮桃 ‘Hong Lian-Tao’, with the surname ‘Hong’ and the first name ‘Lian-Tao’ ( these two characters mean ‘lotus and peach’ in English.) A third stamp means ‘one’s son’. A fourth stamp gives the place of manufacture: 螺記 ‘Luo Ji’. The fifth stamp is a place called 坑仔口 ‘Keng Zai Kou’.
Combining this information all together, it can be estimated that this pipe bowl is made by Hong Lian-Tao’s son, who worked in ‘Luo Ji’ which probably located in ‘Keng Zai Kou’. Mrs. Hong might be the proprietor of ‘Luo Ji’ and the little peach pattern on the top right corner may be the logo of the company.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
nn8540
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 65 x 110 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
clay; wood
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
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Collection Information

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