Ser Jacopo S3 Sandblasted Brandy 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’s sandblasted pipes follow a relatively simple, tripartite scheme: first, there are the S1 pipes, which feature dark brown finishes; then, there are the S2 pipes, featuring a lighter brown finish; then, at the top, are the workshop’s S3 pipes, which feature an even lighter, natural finish. As any pipe maker will tell you, lighter finishes, whether rusticated, smooth, or sandblasted, require better briar than darker ones, owing to the fact that any cosmetic imperfections would be far more visible than in the case of the latter. This particular, plump bent brandy is an S3 grade, having come out of the workshop with a minimal—though wonderfully craggy—near-natural sandblast finish that has, over time, developed a warm patina. These days, Ser Jacopo refers to such pipes (as well as the rusticated variety) as “Spongia,” given that property (something shared, for example, with the Dunhill Tanshell, or the Savinelli Punto Oro Corallo, among others), though as this is a pre-1997 piece, I’m not sure that designation had been invented just yet.

The condition is very good. Some darkening and minor finish fading on the rim, and slight handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 6.0″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.90 / 20.86mm

Bowl Depth: 1.60″ / 40.64mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g