Vitale Partially Sandblasted Rhodesian (Two Star) Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

As a child, Piero Vitale spent many an afternoon in the workshop of his grandfather, who was a carpenter and luthier. This proclivity for working with his hands translated into a number of artistic pursuits as he grew up, including painting and wood carving. Then Vitale was introduced to the world of handmade pipes by a friend and was immediately fascinated. The work of masters such as Tom Eltang and Kent Rasmussen showed that pipes could be true works of art while also being precisely engineered smoking instruments. For over a decade, Vitale has crafted his own hand made pipes, developing a distinct style that expertly balances form and function. This has led to partnerships with several Italian pipe companies, for which Vitale has provided designs, but his greatest achievements continue to be those pipes that he makes by hand alone in his workshop, in a small village in Lombardy.

The Rhodesian has been a staple of pipe design for at least a century now, and yet, of the thousands of renditions I’ve seen over the years, I’ve yet to come across someone who makes them quite like Vitale. There is a touch of the Danes in them, such as the Rhodesians of Tom Eltang, but Vitale’s designs also remain quite faithful to the Anglo-French standards, forgoing much of the bombast that characterizes his other works. That’s not to say that pipes like this one are a complete departure from the signature Vitale style, however. The distinctive sense of proportion remains, and in this instance is further accentuated by a mixed finish of polished bird’s-eye and blasted ring grain.

 

Details:

Length: 5″ / 127.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.36″ / 34.54mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 40g