Davide Iafisco: Smooth Saucer Tobacco Pipe

Davide Iafisco is an Italian pipe maker; however, his unique style is not exclusively defined by neoclassic Italian aesthetics. A student of master pipe makers such as Adam Davidson, Teddy Knudsen, Chris Asteriou, and Claudio Cavicchi, Iafisco's comprehensive pipe making education has led him to incorporate a wide variety of pipe making aesthetics into his work, resulting in his portfolio spanning from traditional Anglo-French creations to unorthodox Freehands. However, all of Iafisco's pipes are linked by crisp line work, supple shaping, and excellently engineered airways, ensuring each pipe is both beautiful and functional to the same degree of excellence.

This Saucer by Davide Iafisco is a striking, asymmetrical rendition of the shape. The broad, circular bowl is slightly irregular and the shank meets it slightly left-of-center, imbuing this piece with an organic aura. Furthermore, the bowl's waistline is marked by a crisp ridge that subtly undulates as it wraps around the bowl, the reason for this construction being to frame the separation of flame grain on the lower walls from birdseye on the upper dome, an excellent example of Iafisco's attention to detail. Out back, the shank flares horizontally to the upturned shank face that is gently flared, something which parallels the bowl's supple contours. Additionally, the demurely bent stem joins to the shank via a push-style arrangement, and its durability is enhanced by a brass inlay around the mortise. Moreover, the stummel is dressed in a blonde smooth finish, furthering this piece's warm, natural character.