Bontemps - No reserve price - Pipe - Briar

hand-carved figural briar tobacco pipe by Bontemps of Saint-Claude, France — the historic birthplace of the briar pipe. The bowl is sculpted in the form of a bearded warrior's head wearing a winged helmet, most likely representing Vercingetorix, the legendary Gaulish chieftain and symbol of Celtic resistance against Julius Caesar. The carving shows considerable skill and detail: deeply rendered facial hair, defined facial features, and a finely incised winged helmet with crosshatch decoration. The reverse of the bowl features additional carved relief work. The stummel is fitted with a black vulcanite stem in bent form.
Bontemps belonged to the Berrod-Regad group, which also owned Butz-Choquin, and produced high-quality pipes in a wide variety of typically French styles. (MBSDpipes) Saint-Claude is historically credited as the birthplace of the briar pipe (Pipedia) , and figural carved briar pipes depicting Vercingetorix were a well-known and celebrated subject produced by Saint-Claude pipe makers. (Peterson Pipe Notes)
The maker's stamp reads "bontemps / ST-CLAUDE" impressed into the briar on the underside of the shank.
Dimensions: 17 × 12 × 3.5 cm
Weight: 126 g
Condition: Estate pipe, shows age and use consistent with the period; carving intact and well-preserved
MATERIAL: Briar root (ébauchon), vulcanite stem
AGE / PERIOD: circa 1960s–1980s (Bontemps/Berrod-Regad production era)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France (Saint-Claude, Jura)