Davide Iafisco: Smooth Bent Dublin Sitter Tobacco Pipe

Inspired in equal measure by the classic Anglo-French marques of old and the contemporary artisan makers of modern times, Davide Iafisco is an Italian artisan whose body of work spans many styles. Starting his pipe-making journey in 2010, Iafisco counts Adam Davidson, Teddy Knudsen, Chris Asteriou, and Jeff Gracik among his influences and attended a pipe making seminar held by Gracik and Davidson in 2015. Much of his work is punctuated by clean lines and crisp edges, with supple curves working their way into the fray in pieces such as this bent Dublin, an example of the shape that's more dramatically stylized than we've seen in the past from Davide.

This is an example of a pipe that's well on the more neoclassical side of Iafisco's portfolio, with dramatic shaping present throughout the composition, though nowhere is this more apparent than at the bowl. Said bowl sits atop a flattened heel that allows for the entire piece to sit as well, balancing the weight of the composition rather easily. From here the walls flare swiftly and asymmetrically to a vast rim, where the left fore and right aft sides are deeply dipped and the sides opposite these rise higher, making for a powerfully dynamic flow of line. This dynamism is enhanced by a bold forward cant courtesy of the fore wall, which sweeps up and out of the heel with a good deal of curvature, the aft wall oriented in a much straighter stance than the fore. A wide transition leaves plenty of room to drape a thumb and leads to a mid-set shank that takes on its own dramatic flare to the face, all while gently lifting near the end to meet a demurely curved saddle stem of black vulcanite. The flare here, like the rim, is asymmetrical, lifted at the right and left sides of the top and bottom, respectively, while the lower portions of the flanks are pushed inward, a wrapping ridge outlining these features before the face itself domes out slightly. A vibrant mahogany stain dresses the stummel here, unveiling dense strands of flame grain through the flanks and around the bowl, while the rim showcases one of the most tightly-packed displays of birdseye I've ever come across.