Viprati Sandblasted Pear 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.

This particular Viprati is a simple, stripped down, sandblasted pear. There are gestures toward the traditional French shape, though the pipe moves away slightly from this lineage by virtue of a more muscular constitution more in keeping with Viprati’s own style.

The condition is good. There’s some rim darkening. I’m quite sure this is an early Viprati pipe, which makes it difficult to tell whether the stem logo has worn off, was not present at this time in Viprati’s career, or if the stem is a replacement. I’ve priced the pipe as if the latter was the case, just to be sure.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.66″ / 42.16mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 68g