G. Penzo: Sandblasted Calabash with Olivewood (Rudegar) Tobacco Pipe

Giacomo Penzo sure likes to push the envelope in design, as can be easily recognized with this Calabash. Sandblasted to emphasize the grain, the texture is craggy. For a Calabash, this piece is quite different. Note, for example, the low transition and pointed heel, giving the silhouette a distinct checkmark shape. The bowl does not expand toward the rim, as in so many Calabashes, but curves in before being topped by the olivewood cap, which is echoed with the olivewood fitment at the end of the shank. A lithe, sinewy saddle stem emerges from the shank, almost disappearing in relation to the bowl. You can wrap your hand around this bowl with remarkable comfort, as it is tall enough to accommodate most of your fingers, if your hands are of relatively normal size. The balance and implied forward visual motion, in relation to the gracefully understated shank and stem, place the visual weight fully forward. Light enough to hang comfortably from the teeth, this unusual piece is waiting for the right owner to start its long career as a dependable and beautiful smoker.