Don Carlos Rusticated Bent Prince Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Don Carlos belongs to a historic lineage within Italian pipe making. The workshop was founded by Bruto Sordini (along with his wife Rosaria), who had previously made pipes for Mastro de Paja, where he also met Giancarlo Guidi. In 1981, Sordini and Guidi left Mastro de Paja to found their own workshop, Ser Jacopo. After years of making pipes at Ser Jacopo, Sordini once again departed to found a new venture, as he had ideas for shapes and styles that were quite different to Ser Jacopo’s established design philosophy. Sordini therefore created Don Carlos as a means of expressing this vision, resulting in pipes that are both quintessentially Italian, and bearing aesthetic that is wholly their own.

One thing I like about Bruto Sordini’s pipes is that his approach to shaping is often very distinct, without straying too far from established conventions. This one, for example, is somewhat like a traditional prince, but the shape of the stem, along with the proportions of the stem and stummel are much closer to the Canadian shape. The bowl is princely, but it is also rounder and more organic than most princes, bringing it closer to the tomato, or squat tomato, shape. But despite this juxtaposition of design influences, it all comes together in a perfectly harmonious form.

The condition is great. There’s some very minor inner rim darkening.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.05″ / 26.67mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g