Italian Estates: Castello Sea Rock Briar Tomato (KKKK) 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. Broad-based and plump, this Tomato is a handsome example of the shape's iconic plumpness, with a defined neoclassical look that focuses much of the visual weight on the bowl. A wide transition leaves plenty of room to drape a digit and gives way to a short, swiftly tapering shank met by a demurely curved stem of black acrylic that continues the diminution of the shank. Up front, the bowl stands atop a rather pronounced heel, growing walls that curve as they take on their own taper toward the rim, offering plenty of canvas to showcase the craggy rustication of the Sea Rock series, all stained a dark walnut.