Christian Ruetz “Broken” Partially Sandblasted Asymmetric Long Shank Acorn Estate Briar Pipe, Other Estates

Description

Tyrol’s Christian Ruetz may well be the most exciting and acclaimed pipe maker to have come out of Austria since Peter Matzhold. A committed pipe smoker since his youth, Ruetz crafted his first pipe in 2014, using a carving knife gifted by his father-in-law and wood from a cherry tree. Ruetz was, from then on, hooked and soon moved onto briar, though he has maintained a relatively low-tech approach to pipe construction throughout in his career. Though Ruetz’s experiments with briar began a decade ago, in recent years his exercises in style have coalesced into an instantly recognizable identity, which has coincided with a no less than meteoric rise within the international pipe community and industry. As is something of a tradition for today’s artisans, Ruetz has spent time in the workshop of Denmark’s Tom Eltang further refining his techniques, yet it must also be stressed that Ruetz’s design philosophy is distinct from—and, to an extent, contrary to—that of much of modern Scandinavian pipe making. Against the functionalism of Eltang et al., Ruetz is far more of a Romantik. In his own words, his style is encompassed by three words: Natur, Rauheit, and Imperfektion, (roughly, “nature,” “ruggedness/rawness,” and “imperfection”). This style and underlying ethos comes from a life spent recognizing the natural world for what it is—including the sublime, towering ranges of the Eastern Alps visible from his workshop windows.

The “Broken” is a signature motif in Christian Ruetz’s work. In his own tongue, it is known as the doppelte Borke, or “double bark,” referring to Ruetz’s distinctive way of accenting some of the pipes he produces. By roughing the shank end and by inserting a similarly roughed ring of briar at the base of the mouthpiece, Ruetz creates the illusion of a pipe that is—as the name suggests—“broken,” though is, in fact, anything but. Here the Broken motif has been applied to a somewhat Danish, and exceptionally lightweight, long shank acorn in the vein of Lars Ivarsson et al., with Ruetz’s inclusion of a touch of asymmetry and a scalloped, live plateaux rim adding even more of the artisan’s hallmark naturalism to the design.

The condition is very good. Very slight rim darkening and finish fading.

Details:

Length: 6.8″ / 172.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.12″ / 28.44mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 26g