He may have been inspired by a picture in a museum or a book. The painting depicted a Renaissance nobleman with a proud, aristocratic bearing, a certain Ser Jacopone. The name ‘Jacopone’ was too serious, and it was better to shorten it to Jacopo – “Ser Jacopo: that’s what we’ll call our company”. This was back in 1981 or 1982 and at 38 Giancarlo Guidi was at a major turning point in his life. Born in Pesaro (central Italy) at the end of the war, Guidi cultivated two great passions: pipes, which he had discovered at 16, and all forms of creative expression. He studied at the Ferruccio Mengaroni Art Institute, pursuing in particular training in Applied Arts, which was the pride of his city’s artistic tradition. He then acquired further skills in majolica and glazes, a centuries-old craft tradition in Pesaro. However, he soon realised that his greatest creativity lay in pipes, which he loved to smoke while relaxing...read more
