Caminetto Business KS 151 Rusticated Oom Paul Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Caminetto was, and is to this day, a decisive figure in the history of Italy’s pipe workshop tradition. After spending time developing their skills in the Castello workshop, Guiseppe Ascorti and Luigi Radice left to found their own venture, which they named, “Caminetto.” Here, Ascorti and Radice were able to create their own now-classic shapes and finishes, such as the rusticated “Business,” and the carved, wax-drip “New Dear.”

Caminetto’s early Business finish could reasonably be described as Guiseppe Ascorti and Luigi Radice’s re-imagining of the early Castello Sea Rock finishes. Both were a form of stony, weathered rustication that has since become a veritable institution across Italian pipe making, and both were decidedly rugged in application, ultimately transforming into a finer, more granular form in later decades. One might say the early Business was even more rugged than the early Castello Sea Rock, which paired especially well with the shapes that Ascorti and Radice favored. While still largely rooted in the Anglo-French tradition, Caminetto’s shapes tended towards the bold and the brash, with a deliberate emphasis on muscle and rough edges. The Oom Paul appears to have been a particular favorite of Ascorti and Radice, as there were many variations on it during their time with Caminetto, especially as the workshop’s shape chart developed. These included the “175,” for example, along with the “152,” the “154,” and, of course, the “151” seen here, distinguished by its large stature and asymmetric saddle mouthpiece.

The condition is good. Some rim darkening and finish fading. One thing I’m not sure of is if the stem is original, though if it is a replacement, it’s remarkably well done. I’ll price the pipe as such just to be sure.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 1.70″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 2.7oz / 78g