Italian Estates: Castello Collection Great Line Fiammata Bent Dublin (K) (2002) Tobacco Pipe

Outside of Castello's incredibly rare and collectible Pezzo Unico, or, "Unique Series", pipes, the Collection Great Line Fiammata designates the workshop's most superlative examples, both in grain and shaping, and it is this designation which graces this bent Dublin. Subtly indicative of the Italian neoclassical tradition, the proportions of this pipe place nearly all of the visual weight on the bowl, though the extent of the shank and stem give balance to the composition, their length tempering the bowl's heartiness. The shank is flared gently to the transition, the briar expanding as it does, growing in similar fashion at the heel, giving the silhouette a bit of a bulge toward the underside and leaving the pipe with a defined, understated waistline. The bowl flares toward the rim, widening most prominently at the fore in a display of handsome asymmetry which compliments its ovoid, gingerly dipped shape, its surface a phenomenal canvass for the roiling sea of birdseye which it presents. The stummel is covered with exceptional flame grain on all sides, hence the Fiammata designation, and the Collection finish which dresses it coats the briar in a warm mahogany, revealing undulating growth rings on the left flank that ripple from heel to rim. The length of shank is paired to a trim, tapered acrylic stem, softly downturned to the button, and adorned with a ring of wood near its base in a slightly lighter stain than the stummel, its dual coloration contrasting itself and the stummel with a refined color palette. Stately and hearty, this pipe is sure to be a centerpiece in any Castello collection, or a superior smoking companion for those with discerning taste.