Rusticated Bent Pot (R1) Tobacco Pipe

Combining heavy, solid form and substance with graceful lines, this Ser Jacopo bent Billiard is a fine example of what the Pesaro school can do. The challenge here is that the briar's basic proportions are neoclassical-Italian, with a big, thick-walled bowl and stout shank - easy to render has boldly masculine, or shapely and voluptuous, but not so much graceful. Ser Jacopo manages to pull it off, however, with a long, smooth taper and downward curve to the stem and shank, a neat transition, and a subtle swelling of the heel to suggest the gesture following right through the bowl itself.

- Eric N. Squires