Ser Jacopo Maxima L2 Smooth XL Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Ser Jacopo is one of the most famous contemporary examples of high-grade, workshop-made Italian pipes. It also belongs to a very special tradition in Italian pipe-making, having been established by Giancarlo Guidi and Bruno Sordini after the two had left another great Italian workshop, Mastro de Paja. Together, Guidi and Sordini created a brand of pipes that reflected their Renaissance sensibilities – even the figurehead of Ser Jacopo happens to be taken from a painting of a nobleman from centuries past – one that would soon become esteemed for creating unique and beautiful tobacco pipes that smoked just as well as they looked.

Deriving from the Latin word for “large” (as all Ser Jacopo terminology does), Ser Jacopo’s Maxima series are, as one might expect, their largest pipes, with proportions that typically dwarf the workshop’s more standard output. This bulldog might not be the longest pipe in the world, but it more than makes up for that with a gargantuan bowl—one tall enough to house a chamber over two inches deep. In fact, I think I’d go so far as to call it a “pocket magnum.” As those already familiar with Ser Jacopo pipes will know to expect, it is also a very beautiful pipe, and also makes an interesting use of its grain. In this case, the sides of the bowl are alive with cross-grain, while the towering front side is covered in bird’s’-eye, in a manner more commonly seen on shapes such as the elephant’s foot and shield. The pipe is dressed in Ser Jacopo’s L2, or Liscia 2 finish, a light, natural, and very Italian blonde stain, which allows its briar to express itself to its fullest extent.

The condition is great. Very minor inner rim darkening and very slight handling marks. The pipe comes with its original box.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 2.09″ / 53.08mm

Weight: 3.0oz / 86g