Ser Jacopo Pre-1994 R1 Rusticated Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

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 perfectly as they looked.

As is something of a tradition in the world of high-end Italian pipes, the Ser Jacopo workshop has, since its earliest years, offered pipes dressed in a stony, pebble-dash rustication—something that Guidi et al. had previously done back at Mastro de Paja. This particular Ser Jacopo is one of those pipes, and further leans into the Pesaro school aesthetic by way of a simple, elegant rendition of a relatively classic bent Dublin.

Interestingly, the pipe itself appears to have been crafted in an earlier era of Ser Jacopo pipes, as evinced by its stem logo. As I’ve mentioned before, Ser Jacopo pipes have gone through numerous different stem logos over the years, and an inlay of sea coral was used for much of the workshop’s early years. EU legislation protecting such corals came into effect in 1994, however, which put an end to that practice (being part of the reason the Ser Jacopo logo today is a silver “J” instead).

The condition is good. Some inner rim charring and finish fading.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.94 / 23.87mm

Bowl Depth: 1.70″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g