Artebano
Artebano, aka Franco Maccaferri, Italian pipe maker, passed away on July 24th, 2008.
La bottega Artebano (Artebano's workshop) took it's name from the previous proprietor. It was homed in Via Mentana, a short and narrow road in the historic city center of Bologna.
Here Franco Maccaferri made his freehands, which were almost entirely bought by pipesters from Bologna and it's surroundings. Outside, in the rest of Italy, Artebano Pipes remained hardly known - a local insider tip. The workshop was a regular meeting place for a circle of pipe smokers on every Saturday afternoon gathering there to chat and to discuss on pipes and tobaccos.
Franco Maccaferri closed his bottega around the turn of 2005/2006 for health reasons (afak).
The following pipe and information is courtesy of Ceciline Michel:
The pipe has never been used. So it is absolutely in a mint condition. So are the mouthpieces. There is a golden ring separating mouthpiece from the pipe. Engraved in this gold-ring you’ll find 1903 and 1993 on opposite sides. So it must be a jubilee item. In the neck of the pipe you’ll find the following engraved on the lower side: Hand Made , underneath Italy, across the neck in small beautiful letters: Artebano and above that close to the golden ring the two letters B (and) L . On the clothbag is again the name written Artebano and the sketch of a man in an old fashioned outfit. The pipe-cleaners are in the color of green and red mixed. The outer box shows a used appearance. The edges have lost their black coloring, so have the folding edges. Otherwise it is still in a good condition, no broken lines.
Inside the box was lying also a calling card. Here I repeat its wording:
Artebano
40122 Bologna – Via Lame, 29 – Tel. 051/26.75.55
Pipe delle migliori Marche
Produzione propria – Riparazioni di ogni tipo
Articoli per Fumatori . Oggettistica da Regalo
Regalistica Aziendale
If you have any pictures or more information about his pipes, please contribute them here, or send them to us.
Molte grazie, Scott (--sethile 13:22, 1 August 2008 (CDT))