Ser Jacopo L1 Smooth Apple w/ Engraved Silver Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Ser Jacopo is one of the most famous contemporary examples of high-grade, workshop-made Italian pipes. It also belongs to a very special tradition in Italian pipe making, having been established by Giancarlo Guidi and Bruno Sordini after the two had left another great Italian workshop, Mastro de Paja. Together, Guidi and Sordini created a brand of pipes that reflected their Renaissance sensibilities – even the figurehead of Ser Jacopo happens to be taken from a painting of a nobleman from centuries past – one that would soon become esteemed for creating unique and beautiful tobacco pipes that smoked just as well as they looked.

The Ser Jacopo artisans are no strangers when it comes to silverwork on their pipes. A significant amount of their output is adorned with sterling silver collars, ferrules, and spigots (in addition to all of the other various ornamentation in their design portfolio). But there’s something about this Ser Jacopo that lifts it a little higher than most of those. Not only is it adorned with a silver band, but the band has been carefully, not to mention beautifully, engraved with the Ser Jacopo name, along with a leaf motif running right around it. Given the workshop’s strong ties to Renaissance imagery, I have to wonder whether these leaves don’t in fact refer to those of the tobacco plant, but instead to a laurel wreath, i.e., the ceremonial crowns of Western antiquity, the latter holding an especial place in Renaissance thought and aesthetics. Either way, it’s a great addition to an already very lovely pipe.

The condition is good. Some minor darkening and wear to the rim, and a few handling marks. The pipe comes with its original box and sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.67″ / 42.41mm

Weight: 2.5oz / 72g