Graziano Tendi Sandblasted Bullcap Rhodesian w/ Boxwood Handmade Briar Pipe, New

The Italian artisan scene is, today, more vibrant than it has perhaps ever been. While the 20th century was largely dominated by seminal workshops, such as Mastro de Paja and Castello, their many offshoots, such as Ser Jacopo and Caminetto, and the familial dynasties frequently bound up with them, such as the Roveras, the Ascortis, and the Musicos, the 21st century has seen an emergence of networks of solo carvers, whose talents have come to rival both the great workshops of their homeland and their solo counterparts abroad, such as in Denmark or the United States. Graziano Tendi is just such a pipe maker. Having been enamored with tobacco pipes since he was a teenager, Tendi has spent the last decade crafting pipes under his own name, achieving cult status even among Italy’s notoriously competitive pipe making community.

While the majority of Graziano Tendi’s creations have a markedly traditional bent, he is by no means inexperienced with more modern designs, which he continues to craft from time to time. In this instance, that takes the form of a distinctly Scandinavian bullcap Rhodesian, one whose squat, wide bowl and flaring shank give a slight nod to the “BoDog” shapes originally inspired by Bo Nordh. As with many of the Nordh tributes in that vein, this one is accented with a boxwood ferrule, while being dressed in one of Tendi’s typically excellent ring grain sandblasts.

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.29″ / 32.76mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g