Don Carlos Rusticated Straight Rhodesian Estate Briar Pipe [SOLD OUT]

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.

With a Don Carlos like this, you can see why Bruto Sordini left Ser Jacopo to explore new frontiers in pipe design. Not that there’s anything wrong with Ser Jacopo’s designs, but this one is very different, both in comparison to Ser Jacopo pipes and to pipes in general. It is a Rhodesian of sorts, but it’s unlike any other Rhodesian you’re likely to see. It is exceedingly long, with a short tapered stem, which is more often seen on Canadians. You might think the shank is a diamond shape (which would technically make this a bulldog), but it’s actually faceted, with six sides. Even the bowl is out of the ordinary, being rather tall, with bead lines around three quarters of the way up, instead of the more typical halfway point. So, it’s a very unique design indeed.

The pipe is in great condition, though the stem is a professionally-made lucite replacement by Briarville. There’s a hair of rim darkening, but nothing else to worry about.

 

Details:

Length: 7.4″

Bowl Width: 24.6mm

Bowl Depth: 2.2″

Weight: 2.4oz / 69g