Pipe Tristan Rusticated Apple Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

Pipe Tristan is the name used by French artisan Tristan Lefebvre. Lefebvre is part of a new wave of up-and-coming hand made pipe carvers from the birthplace of briar, following in the footsteps of figures such as Alain Albuisson, Paul Lanier, and Pierre Morel Sr and Jr. Lefebvre credits a wide range of influences upon his pipe-making, such as modern greats from Italy and Denmark, such as Carlo Scotti’s Castello and Tom Eltang, as well as more unique sources of inspiration, such as the centuries-old hunting pipes native to Germany’s southern Bavarian region. As such, Tristan is equally at home crafting his own spin on the ’55,’ the hawbill, or the Danish Dublin as he is reviving the Ulmer Kloben – when he isn’t inventing his own shapes, that is.

When I first encountered Tristan, he was making Ulmer pipes and his own take on the fabled Dunhill LC. Then, he was making a mix of pipes inspired by the great Italian workshops – especially Castello – and a few of the great European artisans – such as Tom Eltang and Wolfgang Becker. While he still makes those pipes, more recently he’s been exploring very traditional briar pipe shapes, with a focus on early 20th century English and French pipes. This one seems to be one of those, for a number of reasons. For one, it’s a classic apple shape, with an almost pencil-thin shank and stem; second, the stem is a hue very much reminiscent of bone, as pipe stems often were a century ago; third, and last, the design is tied together by a simple, elegant, silver band. There are, however, key differences between this pipe and the pipes of old. Tristan’s is rusticated in his signature Granite finish, with a black dress stain, and its bone-hued stem is actually German ebonite.

 

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g