Viprati 5 Clovers Smooth Brandy Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Much like in Denmark or Japan, many of the great names in Italian artisan pipe-making got their start working for other greats in their famous workshops. This was the case for artisans such as Giancarlo Guidi, Luigi Radice, Sergio Ascorti, and Maurizio Tombari. Luigi Viprati, on the other hand, is one of the few self-taught Italian pipe-makers of the 20th century to have reached the same heights as such contemporaries. First picking up the craft in 1972, Viprati would ultimately become one of the defining names in Italian pipes, which he remains to this day.

Most of Luigi Viprati’s pipes are graded using the stamp of a four leaf clover, or quadrifoglio, with grades ranging from one quadrifoglio to five quadrifogli. If you’re familiar with Viprati pipes, you’ll know that one-clover grades are quite exquisite, so attaining the full five clovers is no mean feat. This five-clover Viprati shows just what it takes to attain that top grade. It is a large, full, quarter-bent brandy, with the density and consistency of its straight grain patterns being on par with, for example, the higher-grade output of the Charatan or WO Larsen workshops during their best years.

The condition is good. Some darkening and a spot of charring on the inner rim, and a few handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 1.01 / 25.65mm

Bowl Depth: 1.73″ / 43.94mm

Weight: 3.0oz / 86g