Ser Jacopo: Unigena Sandblasted Bulldog (S1) (C) (Maxima Maxima Maxima) Tobacco Pipe

Founded in 1982 by Giancarlo Guidi, Ser Jacopo has built a reputation on crafting high-quality briars that are renowned for their robust proportions and playful shaping cues. The Italian atelier's style has since defined the Pesaro style of pipe making, each of their pipes imbued with a sense of character and reflecting the whimsical creativity that went into crafting them. Though Guidi passed away in 2012, his legacy lives on not only in the pipes he crafted, or the company he founded, but in the language of design that he helped to pioneer. A fascinating and full-bodied rendition of the Bulldog from the brand, this piece has been assigned three "Maxima" stamps due to its impressive size. It also represents the Pesaro workshop's Unigena line, reserved for pipes that present especially stellar shaping and finishing. A mushroom-like domed rim is encircled by a crisp ridgeline, with a quick taper downward leading to the pinched, mid-set waist. This cap-like rim sits atop a larger version of a similar shape, the wrapping line protruding at the fore's over angled, sloping sides. The diamond-shaped shank extends out from a transition that's tucked well beneath the rim's structure, with the shank's crisp line work continuing through the stem. It's dressed in a deep, rich, inky stain and smooth finish through the stummel, revealing some handsome grain and offering a serious, smoky tone.