Italian Estates: Becker Sandblasted Bent Dublin (1983-1995) Tobacco Pipe

Becker was founded in 1974 by father and son duo Fritz and Paolo Becker. The brand's pipes tend to eschew the flamboyant flair of the Italian style, opting instead for more functional forms with a distinctive angularity, as seen in this bent Dublin. With the bowl's elliptical cross-section, which can be viewed from an aerial perspective, the pipe bears a resemblance to the ovoid Opera. The wide rim frames a modest chamber ideal for shorter smoking sessions. Expert sandblasting reveals streaks of flame grain around the bowl that guide the eye from the rim, through wavering stacks of growth rings, and into the lifted heel. A sinuous curve underscoring the pipe from the rim's fore to the button of the stem lends a graceful poise to the pipe. The bowl is on the shorter side, and its characteristic flare brings the aft-facing rim to hang over the tight transition to form a deeply acute angle. From this transition, the shank lifts airily into the tapered stem, the junction between the two flanked on either side by slim bands of smooth briar whose chestnut hue adds a touch of color to the black stem and stummel.