Italian Estates: Ardor Marte Bent Dublin Sitter (DR) (2015) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

This bent Dublin is a striking piece from Ardor, boasting a Vase-like construction that's impressive in both its stature and its sinuousness. The transition here is tight, and it gives way to a deeply curved shank that curls into a nearly vertical posture and meets a black acrylic accent at the junction to a tapering stem of matching black acrylic. This stem is accented with a silvery band at the base, and its bend at the bit affords the composition a comfortable smoking arrangement that nicely balances the presence of the bowl. A firm heel marks the start of the bowl's rise to a flat rim, this flattened heel allowing the entire pipe to sit sturdily and bolstering the presence of the walls as they curve and flare out to the rim. Dressed in the rich, ruby-tinged stain of the Marte finish, the stummel showcases a wealth of handsome grain throughout the composition.

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 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.