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From father to son

Born in 1952, Paolo Becker has been stamping his name on pipes since 1979. He established the Becker brand with his father Fritz, who had fled Nazi Austria to Yugoslavia and settled in Rome after the defeat of fascism. Here, Fritz Becker became the World Jewish Congress' ambassador to the Vatican, but also kept a studio for his painting and sculptural work. As he turned his talents to pipes, Paolo joined him.

Today, Paolo Becker is recognised as one of the few Italians making pipes to the meticulous standards of high-graders elswhere - which is quite surprising, given his comparatively high output. In this interview, he says that Fritz' ideas still guide his hands as he does so.

Roughly how many pipes do you make a year?

PB: From 1989 until 2003 my activity was divided. I dedicated some time to the workshop, and some to my Roman retail shop named 'Becker & Musicò'! During this period Becker production was about 400 per year, though I also took care of the 'Becker & Musicò' pipes, the shop's English style house briars. But the fascination and attraction of the workshop have never left me, so that I decided to leave the shop activity behind in order to fully dedicate my time to Becker production. I believe that I will now be able to finish around 650-700 pipes in a year.

Which machines do you use for Becker hand mades?

PB: The precision of a pipe's drilling is fundamental, and pipe makers and smokers pay great attention it. This is only possible with the assistance of adequate equipment. I have lately modified a machine which allows me to drill the bowl, the shank airway and the mortise with the appropriate care. Another small machine is very useful to turn the tenon of the stem. All the rest is done by hand.

Once the bowl, shank and mortise have been drilled, the unfinished stem is inserted into the stummel. At this point, the pipe is shaped on a sanding disk that gradually consumes the excess briar. I use small tools to continue shaping the pipe, making its lines as harmonious as possible and refining its dimensions and proportions.

In your early days, you worked with your father Fritz, who obviously influenced your style a lot. Do you still see yourself as continuing his work?

PB: The impressions given to me by my father still guide my hand, and it pleases me that the style of Becker pipes can still be traced to Fritz. With the passing of the years, I have developed designs and many solutions of my own, without losing the brand's primary personality. An ongoing project is a re-edition of old pipes designed by my father for smokers and collectors. The series will be called 'My memory' and will include some of the most special Becker designs.

Where would you locate your other influences? You seem strangely 'un-Italian' - bold, rather than ornamental.

PB: As a matter of fact, I have a double background. One side is obviously Italian, a second Viennese - from the city where my father lived until his twenties. Probably these ties make me a less orthodox Italian. Also, there's the big influence of always having lived within Roman walls - 2000 years of history, culture and beauty are locked inside.

You appear to put more effort into blasting and rustication than many Europeans - often with formidable results. Where does a blast rank in your personal hierarchy of pipes?

PB: When selecting the wood for my pipes all I consider is the quality, aware that not all pipes are going to be smooth. It would be senseless for such a limited production to be based on the price of the wood - a beautiful root will always be a beautiful sandblast.

It is always a big emotional thing to work a nice block of wood. Taking care of the style, design and balance comes naturally and spontaneously, even when the final product is going to be a sandblast. With these characteristics, it is undoubtedly pleasing to see the grain open and the otherwise hidden growth rings become visible during the blasting. I love this finish - not only for its practicality, but also for the delightful sensation of feeling the grain patterns in my hand.

A shape you seem fond of and vary quite a lot is the Dublin. What does it mean to you?

PB: I think this impression is a result of visiting my website. Many of the pipes shown there are Dublins - although for my production I do not really prefer this shape. My desire was to show the pipes that pleased me most on the site, and in the past few months many of those happened to be Dublins.

If I were to declare a preference, it would certainly be for asymmetrical, cross grain pipes of free and complex shape. How fun to discover the harmony between the grain and an elegant design!

With Massimo Musicò, you created a line of English-style pipes called 'Becker & Musicòs'. Strangely, these didn't become as well known as one might have expected, though people who own them praise them highly. What went wrong?

PB: Between the years 1998 and 2000, Becker & Musicò pipes were distributed internationally. They were immediately approved by smokers, but the demand of Roman shop customers was so intense that it absorbed the entire production. In order to preserve our philosophy of quality, we decided to keep production limited - to the misfortune of foreign clients. However, the brand 'Becker & Musicò' is still young, and I do not exclude a future distribution ouside Italy, naturally keeping faithful to our tradition.

See Paolo's pipes here: http://www.beckerpipes.com

(December 21, 2003)

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