Italian Estates: Castello Collection Bent Billiard (KKK) (1992) Tobacco Pipe

Italian workshop Castello has a rich history that stretches back to 1947 with its founding by Carlo Scotti, being established as one of the first Italian brands to offer high-quality handmade pipes to the general public. In the 1960s, following the addition of Luigi Radice and Peppino Ascorti to their team of carvers, Castello's pipes began to take on a form that was quite different from the Anglo-French classics that they and others had been producing. The Italian neoclassical style which they had begun to develop led not only to a shaping renaissance within Italy, but the production of a number of now-iconic profiles. This bent Billiard is a curvaceous rendition of the classic shape by Castello. The bowl falls well in line with the Italian neoclassical shaping style we're used to seeing from Castello, thanks to its appreciable height and capacious chamber. The sleek length of shank and stem roots the visual weight of this pipe at the bowl, with this rear half possessed of a continuous taper from the transition to the button. Not only does this magnify the presence of the bowl, but it offers a kind of lithe, elegant poise that offsets that presence a touch, keeping things looking balanced and offering a comfortable smoking posture with its demure curvature. The transition is slightly angular and gently sweeps forward toward the aft of the bowl, working in tandem with the angle of the heel to cant the bowl forward a bit, adding a degree of dynamism to the profile and keeping it lively. Dressed in the workshop's Collection finish, the stummel is stained a warm, mahogany-tinged stain and showcases handsome grain.