Mike Butera Vintage Classic Antique 617B XXL Partially Sandblasted Lovat Estate Briar Pipe, American Estates

Description

It is safe to say that Michael Butera is one of the most important figures in American pipe making, or even in pipe making, period. Butera emerged during the 1970s and 80s as a major figure in the new American artisan scene, having honed his craft in no small part due to his travels across Europe to meet with the 20th century masters, such as Italy’s Baldo Baldi and Carlo Scotti. Upon returning, Butera also provided training for up and coming pipe makers such as Michael Frey, Steve Weiner, Larry Roush and Premal Chheda. Butera’s perfectionism and community spirit extended far beyond the pipes themselves, as he was also a distributor for some of the most significant blending companies of the modern era, including McClelland and Germain’s.

Up until around the mid-2000s, the production volume of Butera pipes was around 150 per year. After this point, Butera’s growing commitments with his distribution business led to a sharp reduction in that yearly volume, and though the pipes he did make were no less high-grade than in previous decades, only a handful left his workshop annually. After the tragic loss of his workshop during a hurricane in 2017, Butera all but stepped away from pipe making, though he nonetheless remains a towering figure within the industry, and a role model for many an artisan, both home and abroad.

The “Vintage Classic,” seen here in its golden brown “Antique” dress, was Butera’s series of sandblasted works, and one through which he showed off his mastery of the technique. Taking the form of a typically large, yet still quite traditional, pencil-shanked Lovat, this one features a tremendously tall, stacked bowl, though this was no impediment to achieving a densely layered and beautifully consistent, ring grain sandblast running the full length of its exterior.

The condition is good. Minor darkening of the inner rim and some finish fading. This pipe comes with its original box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 7.1″ / 180.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.86 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 2.28″ / 57.91mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g