Italian Estates: Castello 'Castello' Billiard 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 Billiard is a unique piece from the Italian workshop, being one of the brand's seldom-seen spiral-carved pipes, and showcasing an appropriately unique silhouette. A decidedly neoclassical pipe, the bowl is the visual center of this piece, standing atop a firm heel at the fore of the composition. Its walls are thick, and they rise to a flat rim, providing ample space to showcase a series of flowing ridgelines that appear to drape over the briar like the layers of a sheet. A wide transition out back gives way to a sleek shank and stem combination that tapers consistently to the button, with the base of the black acrylic stem accented by a broad band of briar. The spiral carving continues through the shank in a more defined spiral shape, and a warm, light stain dresses the stummel to showcase handsome grain throughout.