G. Penzo: Rusticated Nosewarmer Billiard with Boxwood (Mountain) (1A) Tobacco Pipe

The Nosewarmer is a handy design by nature, its abbreviated length allowing for a pipe that tucks easily into a jacket pocket. In this rendition from Giacomo Penzo, what it lacks in length has been made up for in a daring, bold style and stout proportions, with the bowl making up most of the composition's visual weight as a whole. A broad chamber and thick walls should make for a comfortable pipe in hand, while the firm heel and rugged rustication nod to the Italian neoclassical style that has informed so much of Penzo's work. The warm, dark palette is cleverly offset by a trim accent of pale boxwood, as well as a cooler, jet-black vulcanite stem. All in all, it's the sort of workhorse piece that should make for an affable companion for the on-the-go collector.

- Rachel DuBose