Graziano Tendi Sandblasted Stacked Bulldog 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 Graziano Tendi is adept at carving pipes in a variety of styles, it is the old, Anglo-French classics that he most frequently returns to. Like any good artisan, he spends a lot of time working with traditional forms, though unlike most artisans, these forms make up the majority of his output, and are among his most acclaimed.

This stout, stacked bulldog leans a little closer into what could be called the “modern English” style—that of the late 20th century workshops whose founders had worked in the great London factories, before breaking off to rejuvenate that tradition through expert handicraft. Quite fittingly, the pipe is dressed in a tan sandblast, showing off Tendi’s mastery when it comes to ring grain reliefs.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 2.03″ / 51.56mm

Weight: 3.1oz / 88g