Moonlight Pipes “Sprouting Cavalier” w/ Oak Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

While some pipe-makers take inspiration from the natural world, or from the technologies of present and past, few of them in the contemporary seek to represent these forms in their work. Czech artisan Ondrej Bárta of Moonlight pipes does just that, in a way that recalls the intricate, figural carvings of briar pipes from the turn of the 20th century. But Ondrej also departs from the figural approach of early briar pipes by combining it with high-grade materials and a careful attention to grain patterns that is far more modern.

While Ondrej Bárta is well known for his meticulously carved steampunk-inspired works, another genre of pipes that he is especially fond of is the cavalier. In the past, we’ve had a number of highly unique renditions of such designs, some which have been influenced by more modern cavalier renditions, and indeed some that have been closer to the Tyrolean hunter’s pipes out of which the modern cavalier was derived. Part of what makes this one so interesting is that it not only leans heavily into the latter, but also incorporates a figure that one might more readily associate with another type of centuries-old pipe: the kiseru. After all, hunter’s pipes tended to be rather vertically inclined, whereas kiseru were horizontal, and distinguished by the various woods (often bamboo) used to extend their shanks (also worth noting is the “hidden dragon” plug at the shank’s base). This one utilizes a large extension from oak wood, while its vine-gripped, “sprouting” bowl is our old familiar briar root, and its stem is hand-cut cumberland.

Details:

Length: 9″ / 228.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.37″ / 34.79mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g