Davide Iafisco: Smooth Bent Dublin with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe
Product Number: 002-702-0144
Davide Iafisco's design principles are among the most artistically inclined as any in the world of pipe making, and I find this appropriate given his incredibly philosophical, almost spiritual approach to the medium, something which I both appreciate and empathize with. His start in this journey was sparked by an appreciation for classic, traditional shapes and the longstanding tradition of carving among the various Anglo-French marques, as well as the comparatively more recent rise in Italy's pipe making. Inspired along the way by the work of many modern artisans, Iafisco's own offerings became more Danish- and Japanese-inspired and organically inclined and certainly more strikingly stylized, something attested to by this bent Dublin.
The similarities to the Japanese style are immediately apparent here, not only through this pipe's inclusion of bamboo, but in the outline of the bowl. Said bowl takes on a sweeping, dramatic flare as it rises from the transition, the angle of which leaves plenty of room to drape the thumb, and is paired to its stretch of bamboo via an extremely short shank. The trimness of this shank gives the impression that the stummel is essentially all bowl, as the slender, tapered stretch of burl then expands rapidly to form thick walls and a vast rim which preside over a sweeping heel. Atop the rim, we see a dipped, asymmetrical shaping that lifts a bit at the flanks and falls at the fore and aft, the fore's descent punctuated by a swath of craggy plateau. Three knuckles of bamboo extend out of the shank, their close-knit growth pattern keeping the overall footprint of this piece rather compact, with a divot in the pale grass' surface continued on the right flank of the shank for added organic style. A flare into the final knuckle of bamboo leads to the sleek saddle stem, its base styled with an expansion ring to match the rhythm of the bamboo, and the bamboo itself has been drilled with a slight divot that allows the stem to nestle in quite nicely. The pale tones of the bamboo match rather well with the warm, grain-defining auburn stain of the stummel, though the black vulcanite of the stem and the plateau's darker umber hue add some lovely contrast.
-John McElheny
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SoldMeasurements & Other Details
- Length: 5.54 in./140.72 mm.
- Weight: 1.47 oz./41.73 g.
- Bowl Height: 1.69 in./42.93 mm.
- Chamber Depth: 1.28 in./32.51 mm.
- Chamber Diameter: 0.78 in./19.81 mm.
- Outside Diameter: 1.96 in./49.78 mm.
- Stem Material: Vulcanite
- Filter: None
- Shape: Bent Dublin
- Finish: Smooth
- Material: Briar
- Country: Italy