Italian Estates: Don Carlos Rusticated Bent Vase (Two Note) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Along with Giancarlo Guidi, Bruto Sordini left Mastro de Paja in 1981 to form Ser Jacopo with Guidi the following year. Sordini eventually left the workshop, though, to fashion his own pipes under the Don Carlos name. Following the whimsical shaping of other Pesaro pipe makers, Bruto here presents a unique shape, the bent Vase: a pipe that's visually reminiscent of the Cauldron, though with a good deal more height than often seen in the latter. One of the most striking aspects of this pipe is its bowl, which rests atop a flattened, sure-sitting heel and expands out to a wide, mid-set waist. An arcing taper follows the flare and pinches just before the rim, the rim itself flaring out into a lip-and-mouth configuration like those seen in antique examples of the pipe's namesake. A rather lithe shank lifts and arcs out of a wide transition, tapering to meet a smartly curved saddle stem that offers a comfortable smoking posture. Dressed in a light auburn stain and extremely craggy rustication, there's plenty of texture on offer in this piece, combining with the singular silhouette to make for a thoroughly engaging pipe.