Ser Jacopo (R1) Rusticated Bullmoose Rhodesian with Briar Inserts (Estate)

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.

While Ser Jacopo today is known for its rather grandiose designs, the workshop’s humble beginnings as an offshoot from Mastro de Paja carried with it the latter’s emphasis on more modest creations. Mastro de Paja’s pipes were—and still are—high-grade, handmade works—but the pipes made there by Guidi, Sordini, et al., tended toward simpler shapes and finishes, crafted in a meticulous fashion as a means of competing with the emerging post-war artisan scene.

This was perhaps the defining feature (aside from geographical proximity) of the so-called “Pesaro school” of pipe making, and though its associated workshops and artisans have developed their own, individual styles further, few have strayed completely from that original vision. I mention all this because the pipe here is quite an interesting one, on account of its form. While it is dressed in a very Italian pebble-dash finish, the shaping gestures at a rather specific, very muscular Rhodesian variant from the Anglo-French tradition, that of the early to mid-20th century bullmoose. Of course, being a Ser Jacopo, it’s beautifully executed, while also being rather interesting to see within the context of more modern Italian pipes.

The condition is great. Minor inner rim darkening, but nonetheless very well preserved.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.57″ / 39.87mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g