Still Life with Pipe and Matches and Still Life with Herring, Bread, and Cheese (pair), 1858. Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (French, 1803-1860). Oil on fabric; unframed: 63 x 38 cm (24 13/16 x 14 15/16 in.). The artist was a smoker. In this composition the place of honor is given to a pipe made in Austria around the middle of the 19th century. It is made of precious materials--meerschaum, silver, amber, horn or lacquered wood--that are carefully fashioned, all lovingly rendered by the artist. The cord with a tassel (perhaps of horsehair) is not just a decorative element, it is a security measure in case the precious bowl of the pipe becomes detached from the pipe stem. The pipe is surrounded by ordinary smoker's accessories--a cigar case, a snuffbox, and a match holder in porcelain--all placed on a Turkish rug.