Italian Estates: Il Ceppo Smooth Freehand Bent Dublin (4) Tobacco Pipe

Like Ser Jacopo, Il Ceppo pipes stem from the Pesaro school of design. The company was founded in 1978 by Giorgio Imperatori, and its tradition of producing pipes with the whimsical flair of the Pesaro style continues to this day. This freehand bent Dublin from Il Ceppo possesses twisting ridgelines that create an organic, free-flowing asymmetry. The rim, adorned with eddying swirls of birdseye, undulates with uneven swells and curves atop a bowl with a lenticular cross-section. Two points assert themselves where the plump walls meet, positioned in such a way that the bowl aligns itself diagonally to the shank. From the fore-facing point, a curving ridgeline sweeps down through the left side of the uplifted heel before blending seamlessly into the shank. This shank grows from a rounded transition with the same diagonally-oriented, lenticular cross-section that shapes the bowl. To evoke the spirit of an army mount, the stem base forms a chase taper toward the metal-capped shank face. The transparent amber hue of the stem, marked with subtle swirls of paler colors, is a rich complement to the stummel's golden brown stain.