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

Giacomo Penzo is an Italian carver living in Ireland, where he works for Peterson as the marque's Pipe Specialist, bringing a lot of experience to his astute craftsmanship along with a background in industrial design. This Pot sits sturdily upright, thanks to its flattened underside, while the pipe's well-balanced, compact proportions make it quite portable. The plump, broad-based bowl displays a gradual taper to the rim, which here is gently wavy, especially along the right flank, to add a sense of whimsicality and asymmetry to the otherwise classic design. A mid-set transition is rather elongated, with a subtly tapering, round shank met, then, by an abbreviated saddle stem, the entire composition measuring less than five-inches long. Penzo has dressed the stummel in a rustic, mahogany sandblast that does well to reveal the briar's natural grain orientation, including a handsome array of growth rings along the right flank and entire underside.