Herriot Pipes Partially Sandblasted Danish Egg Handmade Briar Pipe, New

In 2003, one of France’s preeminent pipe luminaries, Erwin Van Hove, jubilantly proclaimed, “Hallelujah! One of the very best American artisans has recently settled on French soil.” Two decades later, Antoine Grenard, director of Chapuis-Comoy and president of the Confrérie des Maîtres-Pipiers de Saint-Claude, oversaw the induction of another artisan originally from the Anglophone world into its hallowed brotherhood. Van Hove was, of course, welcoming Trever Talbert. The Confrérie, on the other hand, was welcoming Chris Herriot. Parallels between the two are difficult to ignore; both were outsiders who laid down roots in France and, crucially, thrived by it. Both forged connections with the Francophone pipe community, developing friendships and associations that would help them lay the foundations of their respective brands. And both would build something on these foundations that garnered them significant national and international acclaim. In Herriot’s case, this meant apprenticing under Bruno Nuttens (himself a former student of Pierre Morel and Tom Eltang), spending several days each week laboring in Nuttens’ Charpey workshop, and the rest of his time in his own. In addition to his acclaimed, traditionally inclined designs, Chris Herriot’s portfolio has expanded exponentially in recent years, incorporating ever more modern shapes and styles. The shift toward such pipes can, by Herriot’s own account, be traced to his time spent studying with Tom Eltang, with whom he honed his freehand turning skills. Danish-style apples, Dublins, and eggs, like this one, have since made frequent appearances in Herriot’s output. They tend toward plump and the organic, and often weave in elements of asymmetry, giving them that extra, naturalistic touch. This one checks all of those boxes, with its proudly bulbous bowl having furthermore been dressed in a deep burgundy, ring grain sandblast finish and fitted with a hand-cut cumberland mouthpiece.   Details: Length: 5.9″ / 149.8mm Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm Bowl Depth: 1.47″ / 37.33mm Weight: 1.7oz / 50g