Radice Rind GT Rusticated Bullcap Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Radice is one of the great Italian workshop pipe makes, belonging to a historic lineage of such workshops. The company began as a family affair, being established in 1980 by Luigi Radice, along with his son, Gianluca, and father, Paolo. But Radice’s pipe-making ‘family’ is a little larger than that. Prior to founding Radice, Luigi ran Caminetto, which he had founded with Guiseppe Ascorti in 1968. Prior to Caminetto, Radice had worked alongside Ascorti in the Castello factory, under the supervision of its owner, Carlo Scotti. It’s quite an impressive genealogy, which is clearly reflected in the quality of Radice pipes.

Radice, it seems, was the first Caminetto (and, by extension, Castello) offshoot to truly distinguish itself from the pipes of Luigi Radice’s previous employers. Even Radice’s approach to pebble-dash rustication—a minor Italian institution in its own right—is very different from its forebears and its contemporaries, expressing a lighter touch more reminiscent of citrus peel than weathered stone. Shaping is another highly property of Radice pipes, as is perfectly illustrated by this one. A decisively wide Rhodesian, it is closer to the “bullcap” shapes of early 20th century American makes, like LHS or Custom-Bilt, than any other Italian makes. Then again, if you’re familiar with Radice pipes, especially their “June Bug” collaborations with GL Pease and Luca di Piazza, you’ll know that this kind of horizontal heft is by no means outside of workshop’s wheelhouse.

The condition is very good. Some minor inner rim wear and a small burn mark on the outer rim, seemingly from one careless slip of the flame.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.95 / 24.13mm

Bowl Depth: 1.36″ / 34.54mm

Weight: 2.7oz / 78g