Differences in Shaping Style by Country?

[Masonrygh]

Hey guys,

I hear a lot of smokers say things like "that's a very Italian shape" or "that's a traditional English shape".

Is there something that makes a pipe lean towards being Italian vs. English etc.?

I've searched the various Pipe smokers forums and of course every answer is conflicting ("Italian pipes are obviously sleeker and curvaceous" vs "Italian pipes are bold and chunky"), so I figured I'd ask the pros.

I also checked PMF and found some good info (thanks Premal and Tyler for your awesome descriptions!), but even here some of the info is conflicting. I found one answer saying that "English pipes have a slightly tapered shank" and a completely separate answer saying that "English pipes have a straight shank, it's Danish style that has a tapered shank."

What are the "general style guidelines" for:

Italian:

Irish:

English:

Danish:

Japanese:

Any others that I might have missed?

Alternatively, is this the wrong question to be asking? Is it more "company vs company", eg. "Castello vs Savinelli" or "Dunhill vs Ashton" rather than "country vs country" eg. "Italian vs. English"

If this info is available elsewhere then I apologize, everything I found was conflicting or from dubious sources, so even if someone just points me in the right direction to an article or post that is generally credible then that would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks everyone!

[wdteipen]

These days there is a bit of bleed over in regional styles due to the internet providing increased access to many pipes from all the regions that inherently either consciously or subconsciously influence a maker's aesthetic. Here's what I think of when I think of the different styles:

Italian: Big pipes, flashy versions of English shapes

Irish: like English pipes but a bit chunkier, less refined, and even more utilitarian

English: adhering/conforming to relatively well defined historical shape charts, utilitarian in nature and not flashy as a general rule

Danish: Curvaceous, feminine flow and lines, balanced between form and function

Japanese: organic, sculptural, nature inspired, balanced aesthetically

American: an amalgamation of all styles, bold and more adventurous in shape and design, non-conforming in some ways

Chinese: replicas of popular makers work from all styles; especially Danish

Of course, this is just what I think of and could be complete bullshit.

[Sasquatch]

Think in terms of history and culture - pipes start out as clay or wood, they become a big industry in France, the factories turn out mostly pretty simple shapes. These are refined by perfectionists like Barling and Dunhill in England in terms of just how well proportioned, how well built they are. A few freaks in these factories are playing with mis-matched cutting heads or in some cases carving entirely by hand (there are all sorts of weird Charatans out there for example). This gets taken even further by the Danes, working usually in conjunction with the Stanwell factory (which is copying English type pipes early on) and guys like Sixten Ivarsson start making much more freeform shapes, looking at how the briar can be used for beauty. This becomes its own school, the Danes and Swedes making really artful pipes, conscious of perfection in curvature and proportion AND grain. The Japanese move this in a slightly more organic direction (unsurprisingly - read about the 7 principles of zen art for a starter). The Italians drift to neo-classicism - shapes we'd recognize, but handmade versions of these, often with exaggerated, playful shaping. The American school is an amalgam of thoughts, proportion and shape and color etc, and drifts around a lot in terms of pipe types.

[n80]

I think another approach for a beginner trying to actually see the difference is to peruse the big online pipe sellers and look at the big name brands that tend to define the nation or the famous individuals that define a national approach.

Castello for Italy
Dunhill for England
Peterson for Ireland
See Eltang, Former, Geiger, Nordh etc for their countries.

Of course this approach will not be perfectly illustrative but certainly puts you in the ballpark.

I also like looking at estate pipes by country at Smoking Pipes. Obviously estates from one country can be from another but you see a definite pattern there too.

[Sir_Saartan]

I was wondering: you left out german pipes, even though vauen
is a major brand.

I'm not really concerned about finding categories for pipes and regional differences,
but it still intrigues me why those are left out.