Description

This smoking pipe from Benin is made out of a mix of materials including wood, clay, and leather. The brown leather has deteriorated in some areas, revealing the wood underneath. The dark brown chamber features intricate detailing, showing faint circular carvings surrounding a line of small arrows. This particular pipe is ordinary, and likely used conventionally. However, many pipes from Benin and Nigeria portray elaborate design and carving, often times depicting figures, motifs, and symbols. Functional items such as pipes and combs often are designed in a highly artistic fashion across West Africa, a practice which brings creativity to even the most ordinary of items.