SU Pipes Smooth Blowfish w/ Case Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

You may have wondered, as I often do, what would happen if professional meerschaum carver was to turn their attention to briar wood, and to make pipes out of that instead. While many early briar pipe manufacturers, such as Frederick Charatan, made just such a transition back in the late 19th century, both briar and meerschaum pipe manufacture have changed significantly in the century since, making for an interesting opportunity. Enter Sebahattin Urgan of SU Pipes, former apprentice to Eskişehir’s master of meerschaum Emre Bay and now an expert carver in his own right. Urgan’s talents have in recent years extended to handcrafting briar pipes, having been greatly inspired by the legends of Scandinavian and post-Scandinavian design.

For this pipe, for example, Urgan turned to one of the great dynasties of Scandinavian pipe making for inspiration, one that has had a considerable influence on his work, as is the case for many an artisan: the Ivarsson family. Like Lars Ivarsson and his daughter, Nanna Ivarsson, Urgan is a great fan of bulbous blowfish shapes, and in this instance the pipe serves as an homage to the wonderfully plump, “mushrooming” blowfish designs of Nanna. In true Scandinavian fashion, the pipe is dressed in a deep, golden contrast finish and is accented by a dash of live plateaux edge at both the rim and shank end of the bowl, though a slightly more unconventional touch has been added by way of a swirling blue, cumberland-style ebonite mouthpiece.

Lastly, unlike most pipes, whether they be artisan or factory briars, this pipe comes also with a custom-fitted hard case, as is one of Urgan’s signature inclusions.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.81″ / 45.97mm

Weight: 2.8oz / 82g