Tommaso Spanu 1999 F2 Smooth Calabash Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

After arriving in Varese, Italy, with the intention of becoming a pipe-maker, Tommaso Spanu was taken under the wing of Alberto Paronelli, one of the first modern-Italian master carvers. From here, Tom Spanu was charged with creating the high-grade Clairmont make owned and distributed by Paronelli. He then went on to create pipes under his own name, becoming one of Italy’s most renowned and respected artisans. During this time, Spanu distinguished himself not only through the high quality of his work, but also as being one of the few pipe-makers who grew, harvested, and seasoned the briar his pipes were made from. After crafting pipes for over 50 years, Tommaso Spanu passed away in 2015.

One of the things I particularly enjoy when receiving a pipe such as this one is trying to guess the exotic materials that adorn it. The main body of this Spanu, for example, is beautifully straight grained briar (hence the F2 grade), but the pipe also wears a kind of calabash-like cap, as well as a ferrule, made from other hardwoods. The cap looks to me to be olive wood, and while the ferule could also be olive, I wonder whether it might be something spalted, such as olive, maple, or birch. In any case, it looks fantastic.

This Tom Spanu is completely unsmoked and comes with its original box.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.7″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 2.7oz / 78g