Vipirati 1 Clover Smooth Bent Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Much like in Denmark or Japan, many of the great names in Italian artisan pipe-making got their start working for other greats in their famous workshops. This was the case for artisans such as Giancarlo Guidi, Luigi Radice, Sergio Ascorti, and Maurizio Tombari. Luigi Viprati, on the other hand, is one of the few self-taught Italian pipe-makers of the 20th century to have reached the same heights as such contemporaries. First picking up the craft in 1972, Viprati would ultimately become one of the defining names in Italian pipes, which he remains to this day.

I’ve spoken before, that time with reference to Savinelli’s Autograph pipes, about how the Italians have a very interesting, and very distinctive, way of carving freehands—more specifically their freehand bent billiards. They seem to love the steep lines and bowls that seem to “hang” from their the shanks. Oddly enough, they seem to me to be closer to someone like Ed Burak in design than the Danes, the successes of the latter being what jumpstarted Italian artisan pipes in the first place. This one, from Luigi Viprati, is a beautiful rendition, with tight straight grain, a deep chamber, and an overall figure that should make for a comfortable hanger.

The condition is good. Some rim darkening and a couple of spots of char on the inner lip of the chamber.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.88″ / 47.75mm

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g