Davide Iafisco: Smooth Prince with Antler 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 Prince is an excellent illustration of Davide Iafisco's affinity for traditional Anglo-French shapes. The squat bowl features a bulging, low-set waistline, but the heel is subtly lifted, resulting in bugling flanks that foster a comfortable in-hand feel. Out back, a diminutive shank gives way to a trim antler accent, its creamy hues juxtaposed with the stem's jet-black vulcanite. Said stem showcases a demure downturn to the trim bit, a requite of the Prince shape that creates the exceptionally lithe profile. Additionally, the stummel is dressed in an auburn smooth finish, highlighting an unbroken stretch of flame grain on the bowl's walls and a swath of tightly-packed birdseye on the underside.