Il Ceppo Imperatori Era Freeline Sandblasted Brandy Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Il Ceppo is an Italian brand that has been producing high-grade pipes since the 1970s. Founded by the architect Giorgio Imperatori in Pesaro, Italy, Il Ceppo is a central figure in what has been called the Pesaro School of pipe design, along with other companies such as Ser Jacopo and Mastro de Paja.

Italian pipes are not generally known for their deep sandblasting. This is nothing to do with the quality of their finishing, it is simply more common to find high-grade Italian pipes with a lighter, almost “webbed” or “tree bark” like blast. Il Ceppo is a little different, and it’s not uncommon to find examples of such pipes (especially older pieces) with the kinds of craggy, ring grain sandblast finishes comparable to England’s Ashton, or mid-century Charatan. Based on its arched “il ceppo” nomenclature and four-digit serial number, this army mount brandy from the Freeline series is indeed of an earlier vintage, one sometimes referred to as the “Imperatori era.” This was the period between from 1977 and 1996, when Georgio Imperatori himself ran the Il Ceppo workshop, prior to his retirement.

The condition is good. Some wear to the rim, slight handling marks, and some tooth marks on the stem’s underside.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.72″ / 43.68mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g