Italian Estates: Savinelli Venere Smooth (602) (6mm) Tobacco Pipe

Trimmer and more lithe than is usual in typically robust Italian pipe design, Savinelli's "602" is a bent Billiard with more of a Danish flair, especially noticeable in the sweeping curves of the silhouette and slight taper of the bowl toward the rim. The proportions between bowl and shank, though, return us to bowl-centric Italian territory, contributing to a bold, sporty, and active character, as appropriate in a sports car as in an armchair.

The inspiration for Savinelli's Venere series comes from Sandro Botticelli's 15th century painting, The Birth of Venus. The painting, currently featured in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, is perhaps the most recognizable depiction of the Roman goddess ever created. With long, blonde hair enveloping a voluptuous figure and skin as fair as sea foam, the representation follows the ancient Greek motif of Aphrodite's origins. In accordance with its Italian heritage, Savinelli pays homage to the Florentine painter and his magnum opus with the Venere line, featuring pipes finished in either a dusky, auburn rustication or, in this case, a honey-blonde stain that illuminates the briar's natural grain with a bright brass band accenting the stem base.