The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Tobacco Pipe with Maple Leaves in a River

early to mid-1800s

Japan, Edo period

(1615–1868)
bamboo, metal, brass, pewter (?), and iron
Overall: 20.4 cm (8 1/16 in.)
Gift of Laurence H. Norton, Robert C. Norton, and Miriam Norton White in memory of Mr. and Mrs. D. Z. Norton 1939.308
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

A famous Japanese poem describes the Tatsuta River dyed in crimson, a reference to autumn maple leaves floating on its surface, and a likely source for the imagery on this pipe.
  • ?–1939
    Laurence H. Norton [1888–1960], Miriam Norton White [1878–1980], and Robert Castle Norton [1879–1959], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1939–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 The three Norton siblings gave this work in memory of their parents, David Z. Norton (1851–1928) and Mary Castle Norton (1854–1928).
  • Hollis, Howard. "Norton Gift." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 26, no. 10 (December 1939): 158–159. Mentioned: p. 159 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Tobacco Pipe with Maple Leaves in a River|url=false|author=|year=early to mid-1800s|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1939.308