Ser Jacopo L1 A Smooth Pencil Shank Rhodesian Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Ser Jacopo is likely the most famous contemporary example of high-grade, workshop-made Italian pipes. It also belongs to a very special tradition in Italian pipe-making, having been established by Giancarlo Guidi and Bruno Sordini after the two had left another great Italian workshop, Mastro de Paja. Together, Guidi and Sordini created a brand of pipes that reflected their Renaissance sensibilities – even the figurehead of Ser Jacopo happens to be taken from a painting of a nobleman from centuries past – one that would soon become esteemed for creating unique and beautiful tobacco pipes that smoked just as well as they looked.

Before recently I had never associated Ser Jacopo with the kinds of designs seen here—long, lightweight designs with slender, pencil shanks, and quite traditional bowl shaping—but in the last couple of years I’ve noticed the workshop exploring what could be called “Bing” shapes. The first ones I saw were much closer to the Bing Crosby-style pipes associated with Merchant Service (in both its historical and modern guises), Savinelli, or Bruno Nuttens, while still retaining the Ser Jacopo aesthetic, owing to the incorporation of its house finishes and general flair. With this one, we see the aforementioned exploration going even further, this time creating a Bing-length rendition of a very classical Rhodesian shape. As it’s Ser Jacopo, the grain patterns and contrast staining are simply stunning, and as it is a pencil shank design, despite its formidable 7 inch length, it is still just a hair over 350 grams.

The condition is very good. Some general wear to the rim, but nothing major. This pipe comes with its original box and sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.69″ / 42.92mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g