Viprati 4 Clover Magnum Smooth Sitter 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.

Most of Luigi Viprati’s pipes are graded using the stamp of a four leaf clover, or quadrifoglio, with grades ranging from one quadrifoglio to five quadrifogli. This one is a four quadrifogli, which is even more impressive given the pipe’s size. It is, after all, a magnum-sized freehand in the Italian mold (see also, for example, Savinelli and its Autograph series), bridging elements of the Dublin, the sitter, and even the Danish cobra shapes. Like the cobra, its bowl is flanked by dense, “angel hair” cross-grain, while its front is a great plane of pure bird’s-eye. As would be expected, the chamber is huge, but thankfully the pipe both feels good in the hand and will sit on its own whenever its next owner needs a short break.

The condition is good. Minor handling marks, and the chamber has been over-reamed and pushed a little out of round as a result, but not to an extent that would impact the pipe’s functioning.

 

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 1.09 / 27.68mm

Bowl Depth: 2.07″ / 52.57mm

Weight: 3.5oz / 100g