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Clay pipe representing the bust of Nicolas Boileau *, French man of letters of the Age of Enlightenment, signed JB for Gambier **, vintage late 19th-early 20th centuries.
This pipe is in good condition, in its own juice.
A note: the top of the pipe has been broken, restored and reinforced with leather, tiny chips, some dirt and wear of time, see photos.
dit Boileau-Despréaux, is a French man of letters from the Grand Siècle, born November 1, 1636 in Paris and died in the same city on March 13, 1711. Poet, translator, polemicist and theoretician of literature, he was considered in his time and by posterity like the legislator or the “Regent of Parnassus” for his “passionate intransigence”. Admirer and friend of Molière for ten years, familiar with Furetière and Chapelle, in the last quarter of the century he was Racine's colleague and privileged interlocutor. Nicolas Boileau is the author of two famous lines, taken from L'Art poétique: "What one conceives well is clearly stated And the words to say it arrive easily"
Pipe-making workshop in existence since 1780, he obtained the Gold Medal at the National Exhibition in 1849. The production of pipes was important throughout the 19th century, which also saw the opening of shops selling the brand in Paris (1846) and London (1860). The war put an end to the expansion of the workshop, which closed its doors for good in the 1920s.
