Moonlight Pipes “Neo-Tyrolean” Cavalier w/Brass Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

While some pipe-makers take inspiration from the natural world, or from the technologies of present and past, few of them in the contemporary seek to represent these forms in their work. Czech artisan Ondrej Bárta of Moonlight pipes does just that, in a way that recalls the intricate, figural carvings of briar pipes from the turn of the 20th century. But Ondrej also departs from the figural approach of early briar pipes by combining it with high-grade materials and a careful attention to grain patterns that is far more modern.

As with another pipe in this latest batch from Ondrej Bárta’s Moonlight Pipes, this one finds its origins in a style of pipe that has been largely forgotten by time, while also subsisting within the DNA of certain modern staples: the Tyrolean, or Tyrolean hunter’s pipe. Emerging from Europe’s Tyrol region, such pipes are recognizable for their ampule-like porcelain bowls and distinctly tall figures, with shank extensions carved from the branches of cherry trees and other central-European flora. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, the Tyrolean served as a blueprint for the briar cavalier shape, such as those of Comoy’s and Dunhill, and would, in turn, continue to evolve through artisan creations, such as those of Tokutomi or the Rinaldo brothers. Though it takes quite a different approach to the other Tyrolean-inspired pipe in this latest Moonlight batch, this one is similarly traditionalist. Though it is made from modern materials, such as briar and cumberland ebonite (as well as a brass faux-spigot), it is far more classical in design than even its 19th century precursors, making for a genuinely fascinating pipe. One small tweak Bárta has included with this one, however, is a plug at the pipe’s base, making maintenance and cleaning far easier than the Tyroleans it was inspired by.

 

Details:

Length: 8.8″ / 223.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.52″ / 38.60mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 76g