Graziano Tendi Smooth Bullcap Rhodesian with Boxwood (Estate)

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, he has, for over a decade, been crafting his own pipes under the Tendi name. Pipe Tendi has been a genuine cult hit, even at home in the notoriously competitive Italian pipe scene, so it is our great pleasure to carry them in America for the first time.

Graziano Tendi is well known for his renditions of classic shapes from the Anglo-French tradition, though in this instance the design is a little more of a “deep cut” than many others he makes. Though Tendi makes a fine squat bulldog in the vein of the Dunhill Quaint Shape “O,” this one is, instead, more “American” than English, having roots in the stubby, hefty “bullcap” Rhodesians of the midcentury, popularized by LHS, Custom-Bilt, and the like. On the other hand, Tendi’s approach is also a little more “Italian,” with whispers of Radice and Cavicchi, owing to its light, strawberry blonde finish and boxwood accent.

The condition is great. Lightly smoked.

Details:

Length: 5.01″ / 127.2mm

Chamber Width: 0.78″ / 19.81mm

Chamber Depth: 1.33″ / 33.78mm

Bowl Height: 1.62″ / 41.14mm

Weight: 2.0oz / 58g