G. Penzo: Sandblasted Tulip (Shell) (B) Tobacco Pipe

With a background in Industrial Design and plenty of natural talent, Giacomo Penzo crafts pipes imbued with a variety of stylistic ranges, his creative interpretations garnering quite a following. This sleek Tulip freehand shows some Danish influence, the forward-ebbing, bulbous bowl and lifting heel topped by a smooth, beveled rim, all of which is reminiscent of the Zulu shape. Supple curves and clean, gentle lines characterize this Tulip, which flares at the shank end in a craggy showing of plateau. Dressed in a low-profile sandblast that shows off the briar's handsome mixed grain, the aforementioned inner rim wears a smooth chestnut contrast stain as does the shank face inlay. Such attention to detail by the Italian artisan is continued in the hand-cut, elongated fish-tail stem, its domed base adding extra pizazz to the gorgeous colors of jade and black comprising it.