Two pieces on a dark gray background; a small rectangular 'instruction' book with a medium gray cover and the words THE MANHATTAN PIECE centered and printed in black in all caps one word per line.To the right of the book, an open rectangular tin with an attached lid is vertically positioned, containing a narrow, carefully coiled brick-red rubber tube held in place by a notched, central spacer bar. The tube terminates with a black elongated mouthpiece at the top, and a circular exhaust opening at other end of the coil.

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See more objects with the tag smoking, hidden, tubing, repurposed.

Object Timeline

1987	Work on this object began.
2016	We acquired this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object.
2017	We photographed this object. We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

The Manhattan Piece Smoking Jewelry

This is a Smoking Jewelry. It was designed by Otto Künzli. It is dated 1987 and we acquired it in 2016. Its medium is dannemann cigarillos box, brass, rubber, resin (ureol), paper, linen (book). It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

When confronted with an active anti-smoking campaign during a 1988 visit to New York, Künzli took a stand “against fanatical discrimination” exploiting the magical and ritual aspects of smoking itself. Künzli’s inherently subversive approach to the function of jewelry as a tool for non-conformity is expressed with biting humor in The Manhattan Piece and its accompanying manual on how to use it most effectively.

This object was donated by Susan Lewin. It is credited The Susan Grant Lewin Collection, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Here we have a matchsafe and cigar cutter in the form of a miniature gun. Similar to a revolver, it has a silver cylinder that is bigger than the rest of the body. Its barrel, trigger, and frame is also silver. For the handle, it is rounded and has a red wood finish.

Matchsafe And Cigar Cutter, ca. 1895
plated brass, cut steel, wood.
Gift of Stephen W. Brener and Carol B. Brener.
1978-146-121

Smoking Stand (Tabako-Bon) Box
wood, lacquer, gold, silver, brass.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maxime Hermanos.
1966-6-4-a/h

Object ID #18494843
cast and incised silver.
Gift of Stephen W. Brener and Carol B. Brener.
1978-146-231

Our curators have highlighted 1 object that are related to this one.

Ejector Cheroot Holder
silver, casein formaldehyde.
The Carolyn Hsu-Balcer Collection.
73.2016.3

Its dimensions are

H x W x D (Box Closed): 1.5 × 8.7 × 11.3 cm (9/16 × 3 7/16 × 4 7/16 in.) H x W x D (Box Open): 1.5 × 8.7 × 22.2 cm (9/16 × 3 7/16 × 8 3/4 in.)

It has the following markings

Printed on the box cover, 'Manhattan Piece' and 'Otto Kunzli'.

Cite this object as

The Manhattan Piece Smoking Jewelry; Designed by Otto Künzli (Swiss, b. 1948); dannemann cigarillos box, brass, rubber, resin (ureol), paper, linen (book); H x W x D (Box Closed): 1.5 × 8.7 × 11.3 cm (9/16 × 3 7/16 × 4 7/16 in.) H x W x D (Box Open): 1.5 × 8.7 × 22.2 cm (9/16 × 3 7/16 × 8 3/4 in.); The Susan Grant Lewin Collection, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; 2016-34-65-a/d

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Jewelry of Ideas: Gifts from the Susan Grant Lewin Collection.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/R36Ba/
Accession Number 2016-34-65-a/d
Object ID 554917387