Davide Iafisco: Smooth Rhodesian Tobacco Pipe

David Iafisco is a talented artisan who takes inspiration from a wide range of influences. He studied personally under carvers like Teddy Knudsen and Claudio Cavicchi, and attended the pipe-making seminars of Jeff Gracik and Adam Davidson. While his work is obviously influenced by those various carvers, Iafisco manages to synthesize his inspirations through his personal creative vision, resulting in pipes that are both unique and stylish. This Rhodesian showcases Iafisco's quality craftsmanship and playful style.

This piece boasts a tall, muscular bowl that's possessed of a certain lopsided angularity. The rim slopes dramatically toward the fore of the composition, and as if following its lead, the bowl's fore wall bulges outward, creating a palpable visual momentum. The form's characteristic ridgeline acts to accentuate this forward-drive, its rigid structure emphasizing the rim's slant and the bowl's bulbous waistline. The shank-and-stem arrangement stretches out back in an arrow-straight line, its slender, understated build lending the bowl most of the visual weight in profile. A warm, honey-hued smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights a handsome display of flame grain all around the bowl, providing further detail for the eye to admire.