Italian Estates: Ardor Marte Bent Apple Sitter with Silver Spigot (DR) (Ninfea) (2004) Tobacco Pipe

Though the Ardor pipes workshop was founded in 1974 by father-son team Angelo and Dorelio Rovera, the pipe making history of the family stretches back to 1911, with the founding of Sociedade Rovera in Varese, Italy. It was at here that Angelo began to carve pipes alongside his father and uncles, starting at the age of 13 in 1958, Ardor's debut into the pipe world marked by a high-standard of craftsmanship that's remained consistent for nearly five decades. Though Angelo passed away in 1999, Ardor is now run by Dorelio, alongside both Damiano and Dimitri, the next generation of Roveras. Ardor's pipes are often typified by their strikingly neoclassical proportions, with each piece offering greatly enhanced substance about the bowl and a reassuring presence in hand. This bent Apple boasts a plump bowl sat atop a rounded heel, its walls possessed of a low-set waist which marks an arcing taper to the rim. An acute transition gives way to an angled shank that tapers upward to the junction, while the extended underside descends to create a flattened foot that allows the entire composition to sit stably. The shank end and stem base are both fitted with silver mounts which have been handsomely stylized, courtesy of the Ninfea series, and this offers stunning contrast against the stummel's crisp tanblast and the stem's vibrant ruby acrylic.