1946-1950 Sasieni Four Dot Hurlingham Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Along with names like Barling, Charatan, and Dunhill Sasieni holds a special place in the history of English smoking pipes – one near to its very beginnings. So the story goes, Sasieni himself worked for Dunhill during its early days. But eventually he left Dunhill, having his own ideas about how pipes should be made, and founded Sasieni. This was 1919, and Sasieni has been the closest thing to a household name in English pipes ever since.

As I’ve said before, it’s a shame that very few pipe-makers have taken up Sasieni’s distinct style of rustication (with one exception being Andrea Gigliuicci, whose pipes I personally adore), as it is as visually enjoyable as it is fascinating as a technique. Sasieni’s workers would etch lines into stummels that followed the briar’s natural patterns, rather than simply randomly or according to a set figure. In this way, Sasieni’s rustication was sort of a precursor to ring grain sandblasting, which does much the same, but with a pressurized hose. All rusticated Sasienis are therefore unique, but unique to the extent that the briar is—again, rather than to the extent that a pipe-makers whim is. This one is a beautiful example, rendered in Sasieni’s Hurlingham (named for the English locale) apple, otherwise known as the shape 52. Judging by the stamping, which simply states the pipe as a Four Dot and not a Four Dot Rustic (a designation added later), this pipe should be from around 1946-1950.

-J.M.

The condition is great. There’s some inner rim darkening, but this 70+ year-old pipe has been very well looked after.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.4″ / 35.56mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g