Italian Estates: Castello Collection Great Line Bent Dublin (KKKK) (2015) 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 Dublin belongs to one of Castello's largest size designations: the Great Line. Coming in over six inches long and boasting a bowl over two and a half inches tall, this piece has done well to earn its appellation. Said bowl sits atop a firm heel and flares dramatically up to a broad, plateau-crowned rim. The transition here is wide and gives way to a oval shank that tapers through its slim, softly downturned black acrylic mouthpiece, the combination lending the composition a gentle bit of sinuousness. Dressed in the warm auburn stain of the Collection finish, this piece showcases some lovely flame grain around its bowl.