c.1935 Evil Christmas Krampus German Clay Demon Pipe
The Christmas Krampus is the dark companion of St. Nicholas, the traditional European winter gift-bringer who rewards good children each December. Traditionally Santa leaves the task of punishing bad children to a hell-bound counterpart with classic devil horns, cloven hooves and monstrous tongue. Krampus punishes the naughty children by swatting them with switches and rusty chains before dragging them to Hell! He leaves them coal or salt in their stockings and typically precedes Santa down the chimney (which accounts for his blackened appearance). The Night of the Krampus of Krampusnacht is still celebrated in many European countries. (many thanks to krampus.com) And one of the many objects to emerge from the Krampus legend is this black molded clay pipe. It features the typical exaggerated demonology features such as horns, pointy ears, etc. It's hand painted with red and white enamel. It also has raised lettering on either side of the pipe handle which is very interesting. The right side has "Germany" in raised letters. The other side is a little more devilish. It includes the text.... "_atan Go To". Presumably this is "Satan Go To Hell". I guess the manufacturer thought it retained some decency by removing a couple letters. Size: 5¼"long. Satan's head 1¾". Sold: Dec. 2011
Price Sold: $ 51
