Ser Jacopo Pre-1994 Renaissance 127 Rusticated Panel Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Ser Jacopo is one of the most famous contemporary examples of high-grade, workshop-made Italian pipes. It also belongs to a very special tradition in Italian pipe-making, having been established by Giancarlo Guidi and Bruno Sordini after the two had left another great Italian workshop, Mastro de Paja. Together, Guidi and Sordini created a brand of pipes that reflected their Renaissance sensibilities – even the figurehead of Ser Jacopo happens to be taken from a painting of a nobleman from centuries past – one that would soon become esteemed for creating unique and beautiful tobacco pipes that smoked just as perfectly as they looked.

Ser Jacopo pipes are known for their Renaissance inspirations when it comes to pipe design. On the other hand, once upon a time, Ser Jacopo made a series of pipes under the “Renaissance” name. In fact, the Renaissance pipes appear to have been some of the earliest produced in the Ser Jacopo workshop, with examples existing bearing the silver-mounted coral dot stem inlay that Ser Jacopo had to abandon in the early 1980s due to a trademark infringement dispute. This one appears to have been made a little later, as it has a coral dot. As I explained in a previous Ser Jacopo listing, Ser Jacopo pipes went through a number of different stem logos over the decades, beginning as a silver-mounted gemstone, then a silver-mounted red sea coral dot, then a red plexiglass dot (now used solely for more affordable sub-brands like La Fuma and Modica), and finally the silver “J” on Ser Jacopo pipes today. This one features a coral dot which, as also previously estimated, was discontinued and swapped for the silver “J” around 1994, as EU conservation legislation was introduced around that time to protect endangered coral species (or, possibly, as early as 1989, when similar legislation was introduced in Sardinia, where red sea coral was predominantly harvested).
The pipe itself is a stout rendition of a classic foursquare shape, though one dressed in a nicely Italian, pebble dash rustication and tan finish.

The condition is very good. Some rim darkening and minor handling marks.

Details:

Length: 6.3″ / 160.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.90″ / 48.26mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 76g