In a recent visit to the Picasso and Matisse exhibition at our local museum of modern art, I was struck by the profound impact that African art had had upon the Avant-garde artists at the turn of the last century. Such art had been exhibited, as the fruits of the colonial period, as early as 1870; but it was regarded as curiosities of the "primitive" mind. But the painters of the period recognized a sophisticated form of abstract representation, outside of what we should now call Western norms, and one which struck a resonance with these artists' own experiments in abstraction and deconstruction. It was this powerful fusion between the post-Impressionist experimentation and traditional non-Western expression that gave rise to what we now think of as "modern" art.
It is clear to me that the echoes of this collision found their way into the imagination of the unknown carver of Barling Quaints. His work bore little resemblance to any form of pipe carving previously known, then or since; and in its bold and seemingly undisciplined use of geometry and pattern, speaks unmistakably of the kinds of shapes and forms which had so electrified the Parisian circle. What makes this esthetic infusion all the more interesting is that it occurred within one of the most traditional and hide-bound of industries, that of smoking pipe manufacture, and within one of the most conservative of companies. Equally interesting is that it was embraced so readily by Barling's rather stuffy clientele.
It is this unusual development that forms the context for the present piece. From its very simple nomenclature (just Barling's (over) Make in a small font with no country of origin or size designation, nor "T.V.F.") we know that it was made prior to the War. And from the rather exhilarating boldness and originality of the carving itself, one is led to believe that it must have been made in the early 30's, before the gathering clouds of war had dampened the lively Art Deco spirit of the time. To my eye, it is perhaps the most original and intriguing Quaint I have ever seen. What makes it especially nice is the fact that the old Algerian briar is unstained, and in and around the carving one can see that it started life as a first rate straight grain. One can only conclude that Mr. Barling himself was much caught up with enthusiasm for this carving, as otherwise, he would not have permitted such a high grade pipe to be laid under the unknown carver's knife.
I fear that my own rather limited descriptive powers are overwhelmed by the intricacy of the carving, and I shall have to let the pictures tell the story. What I can observe is that it is, at heart, a mid-sized classic billiard, one with a rather long shank in the best Barling tradition. Moreover the shank is flattened top and bottom, the latter perhaps better to display the carving; and this flattened shape carries over onto the lovely handcut taper bit.
Indicia, rim, bowl and bit are in superb condition, so much so that one suspects that the Barling cross was never stamped on the bit in the first place, as there is no sign that the pipe or bit has been rigorously buffed; and the application of that cross only became common practice during the "homologation" process so diligently applied by the famous Mr. Nichols in the early 40's.
All in all, I am led to the conclusion that this pipe is in fact a most remarkable objet d'art, one that readily stands comparison to the most imaginative of the Danish and Japanese carvers of today. It may have started life as a billiard, but it ended up a tribute, not only to the carver and his remarkable sensitivity and skill, but to the daring of Mr. Barling.