Pipe Tristan Rusticated Shape 55 Handmade Briar Pipe, France [SOLD OUT]

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 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.

I first encountered Pipe Tristan a few years ago when his pipes were first beginning to generate significant international attention. In the time since, Tristan has only become more renowned, with the sheer demand for his pipes allowing them to more than double in price. It’s not hard to see why – though I do kick myself sometimes for not buying more of them back then. This is one of the Tristan designs I was most excited to bring to MBSD; it’s a reinterpretation of Castello’s famous 55 shape, one that pays homage to an earlier time in Castello’s history, when the shape was prone to more angular and muscular iterations. Lefebvre has captured that moment beautifully here, perhaps with a nod to former Castello (and Caminetto) carver Luigi Radice’s own, daring revisions on the Italian workshop classic.

The pipe is dressed in Tristan’s signature Granite finish – a similar nod to the granular, pebble-dash Italian style of rustication, with Lefebvre’s version being particularly rugged and tactile. This is paired with something you won’t find on most Italian pipes, however – high-grade, jet black ebonite.

Details:

Length: 5.6″

Bowl Width: 22.0mm

Bowl Depth: 1.45″

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g