Description
Todd Brugman Reverse Curve Belge With Limited Edition Vulcanite Stem
This is a one-of-a-kind pipe by our in-house pipe maker, Todd Brugman. It is made 100% from the raw materials, by hand, in the LJ Peretti workshop, here in Boston. He only ever uses the highest of quality for materials, including the vulcanite.
His work all comes together creating unique and cohesive pipe designs. This is just one of Brugman’s many unique interpretations of English shape chart pipes incorporating English, Danish and Italian shaping cues in Brugman’s unique “Americana” style. He can blend the distinctive and idiosyncratic, grounding the most unique pipes in the familiar. Technically contemporary, he is often described as “contemporary with a timeless aesthetic.”
This particular pipe is contemporary Americana pipe composition at its best. Seen here is a “belge.” A belge is essentially a cutty sans the spur; they were originally made from clay, just like cutty’s, yet the belge originated in Belgium, hence the name. Both the cutty and the belge existed at the same time and are the oldest western pipe shapes. This particular belge, made by Brugman, has a contemporary spin on it in Brugman’s unique style, yet still retains the classic belge look; so it is contemporary, yet also carries an elegant timeless quality.
This pipe has an elegant silhouette and will clench easily with it being very light in weight at only 25 grams. Yet still has a properly thick heel, thick enough walls, and it all around engineered brilliantly. The chamber size is about that of a Dunhill group 3.
All of Brugman’s shaping creates a silhouette that showcases a beautiful and cohesive pipe. One that is quite contemporary yet retains a classic and timeless feel, as one would expect no less from Brugman.
Brugman has become know for his ability to pull out the best and most dynamic grain for from each block he works with; letting the block of briar dictate the shape which he revels and adorns with his hand in his own way. You can clearly see beautiful straight grain around the chamber and along the sides of the shank, complimented by tight birds-eye end grain on the rim, heel, and top & bottom of the shank.
This pipe, Brugman complimented with a stem he hand cut from limited edition German SEM vulcanite. He will use modern patterns/swirls in his pipes, but is very picky, as he never wants the stem to be louder than the stummel, he feel the should balance yet at the same time, the stummel should be the “star of the show.” He tends to pick neutral colors with an organic swirl pattern, that despite there intrinsic contemporary nature, carry the timeless aesthetic that is so often mentioned when speaking of his work.
As one can see, Brugman clearly “paints with his own brush” when creating a pipe, or any work. He also states that the same fine artists that influenced him in his painting from Rembrandt to Willem de Kooning, have equally, along with a long list of pipe makers and styles, influence his pipes and all his art.
Perfectly drilled and engineered, this pipe is as much a precision instrument as it is a work of art. Yet, “just as a painting is not a work of art until it is viewed, a pipe it is not a finished work until it is smoked. Therefore the last brush stroke is applied by its owner who will continue to paint it and enjoy it for life.”
Brugman guarantees all of his work against defects for life.
5 7/8″ wide (from the end of the stem to the heel transition, the total length from the furthest point on each end is 6 1/4″) X 1 1/2″ tall bowl
Weight: 25 Grams
Materials: Briar & Vulcanite
Grade: d
100% made in Boston, USA
Todd Brugman Grading System from Lowest to Highest/Best: T, O, d, dd
Grading is 90% based on the grain, and 10% based on the shaping in regards to difficulty and execution
Pipes are stamped “T Brugman” followed by the grade, on the left side of the shank. With “LJ Peretti Co” stamped on the right side of the shank.
