Mastro de Paja 1981 3C 1 Sun Smooth Rhodesian Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Like Castello, Mastro de Paja holds a special place in the world of Italian high-grade pipe workshops. Founded in 1972 by Giancarlo Guidi, the MdP team was soon joined by Giannino Spadoni and Bruto Sordini with the Guidi and Spadoni at the helm of the company until 1981. Guidi then left with Sordini to found Ser Jacopo, and Sordini would later leave Ser Jacopo to found Don Carlos. Spadoni, on the other hand, stayed at MdP until he also left, after which he founded Fiamma di Re. Today, Mastro de Paja is guided by Alberto Montini, with the workshop being known for both the manufacture of some of Italy’s most admired pipes, and for having launched the careers of some of its most respected artisans.

The aesthetic of the “Pesaro school” of Italian pipe design—of which Mastro de Paja was a founding figure—in many ways mirrors that of the Danish schools that emerged after the Second World War. Both began not with bombast, but with designs rooted in the classics of Anglo-French pipe making, which were elevated to new heights thanks to advances in handicraft. And while both featured offshoot makes and movements that became more experimental and ostentatious, a strong connection to more traditional forms nonetheless persisted, even amongst their most groundbreaking contributors.

This particular Mastro de Paja comes from the tail end of the workshop’s first decade and, as one would expect, embodies the classicism that would define the Pesaro school for decades to come. Taking the form of a beautifully grained Rhodesian, this one also happens to come from the higher end of Mastro de Paja’s grading system at the time it was made, earning a “3C 1 Sun” grade, and a natural finish with it.

The condition is good. Minor inner rim darkening and a some tooth marks (pictured).

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.91 / 23.11mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g