Viprati 2012 VIP Limited Edition Smooth Zulu w/ Cocobolo Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Much like in Denmark or Japan, many of the great names in Italian artisan pipe making got their start working for other greats in their famous workshops. This was the case for artisans such as Giancarlo Guidi, Luigi Radice, Sergio Ascorti, and Maurizio Tombari. Luigi Viprati, on the other hand, was one of the few entirely self-taught Italian pipe makers of the 20th century to have reached the same heights as such contemporaries. First picking up the craft in 1972, Viprati would ultimately become one of the defining names in Italian pipes, which he remained until his passing in 2025.

Though the majority of his pipes were unique as regards design, Luigi Viprati also made a few special, limited edition pipes for many years. Some of these pipes were inspired by the arts, such as Viprati’s yearly tribute to Salvador Dali, and others were simply limited runs of his distinctive designs. This one, from 2012, is an example of the latter, though as one can see, Viprati did not need to explicitly evoke the arts to make pipes that could be counted among them. A tulip-like hybrid of the Zulu and the cauldron, there’s a lovely organic character to it, one furthered by the pipe’s exotic wood inlay, which I suspect is cocobolo.

This pipe is completely unsmoked and comes with its original box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.90 / 22.86mm

Bowl Depth: 1.74″ / 44.19mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g