Ser Jacopo S1 Sandblasted Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Ser Jacopo is one of the most famous contemporary example 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.

The Italians tend to have a different approach to sandblasting than, say, the English or American pipe-makers. It’s a much lighter technique, with the resulting finish being closer to a bark-like webbing, or wicker weave, than craggy furrows etched into the briar. This one is a good example of that, though I think my photography might have been a little dark on some of the images. Judging by the stem logo, this is going to be a very early, “Guidi era” Ser Jacopo, back when Giancarlo Guidi and Bruto Sordini first started their workshop together, and before a lawsuit forced them to change their silver-lined, coral dot branding. I would estimate mid-1980s.

The condition is fair. Some rim darkening and handling marks, but nothing especially severe.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.36″ / 34.54mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g