Becker 2 Diamond Smooth Dublin Estate Briar Pipe

Description

The Becker family is one of Italy’s most renowned pipe-making lineages. Beginning with the painter, sculptor, and WW2 British intelligence officer Fritz Becker, the Becker name became synonymous with Italian high-quality pipes after Fritz was discovered by Giorgio Musico, a pipe-maker himself, and owner of a popular pipe shop in Rome. Both Fritz and Giorgio had sons, Paolo Becker and Massimo Musico who learned pipe-making from their fathers and would go on to collaborate in making the famous Becker & Musico pipes, before parting to return to making Becker pipes and Musico pipes once more. Paolo passed away in 2014, but his son, Federico continues to make Becker pipes, to continued acclaim.

With a Becker pipe, it is less a question of ‘which’ Becker made it (i.e., Fritz, Paolo, Federico) and more one of which era it belongs to. One could point to a solo Fritz era, a Fritz and and Paolo era, a solo Paolo era, a Paolo and Federico era, and a solo Federico, but the degree of overlap means this is by no means an easy task. This Becker certainly shows Paolo’s influence, but beyond that, I’m afraid I can’t say for certain who else helped design and carve it. It is nevertheless a beautiful pipe, one that shows Paolo’s predilection for blending classical English shapes with the emerging Italian workshop aesthetics of his time. One could call it a Dublin (as I have), a Zulu, or a Canadian, as it borders between all three, and one could note, as I do, the lovely flame grain and bird’s-eye patterns on its stummel, accentuated by a striking contrast stain.

The condition is excellent. There’s a very slight un-rounding of the inner rim, likely caused by a small slip when being previously reamed, but it’s superficial.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.68″ / 42.67mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g