Ardor: Meteora Fantasy Freehand Tobacco Pipe

Though the Ardor pipes workshop was founded in 1974 by father-son team Angelo and Dorelio Rovera, the pipe making history of the family stretches back to 1911, with the founding of Sociedade Rovera in Varese, Italy. It was at here that Angelo began to carve pipes alongside his father and uncles, starting at the age of 13 in 1958, Ardor's debut into the pipe world marked by a high-standard of craftsmanship that's remained consistent for nearly five decades. Though Angelo passed away in 1999, Ardor is now run by Dorelio, alongside both Damiano and Dimitri, the next generation of Roveras. Ardor's pipes are often typified by their strikingly neoclassical proportions, with each piece offering greatly enhanced substance about the bowl and a reassuring presence in hand. Certainly a worthy addition to the Fantasy line, this Freehand from Ardor is reminiscent in ways to the Egg shape, ovoid bowl slanting slightly backward, but seems mostly to take inspiration from the Sphinx shape which was pioneered by Swedish visionary Bo Nordh. The similarities are striking and obvious, especially with regards to the single, massive ridgeline that wraps around the rim, down the bowl and forms the sharp, forward sloping heel, creating a truly unique shape with an attractive profile. Dressed in Ardor's Meteora finish, the surface of the stummel combines smooth-polished channels with deep, rusticated sections for a rather architectural look, and quite a stimulating feel in hand. In this regard, it's true to its inspiration: one of the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery complexes in Greece, all built on natural sandstone pillars around land inhabited for thousands of years.