Ardor: Giove Freehand Tobacco Pipe

With a storied history dating back to 1911, the Ardor marque is a long-standing family business that is still owned and operated by the descendants of the original founder. After his father founded Sociedade Rovera in Varese, Italy, young Angelo Rovera knew he wanted to carry on the family's legacy within the pipe industry. With the help of his son, Angelo established Ardor in 1974, and worked to maintain the high level of craftsmanship and quality products he'd been brought up with. After Angelo's passing over 20 years later in 1999, his grandsons, Damiano and Dimitri, took over the business and still run it today.

This hearty Freehand from Ardor combines impressive linework with supple curvature to create a truly unique piece that would diversify any collection. Up front, a full-bodied, curvaceous heel gives way to a continuous ridgeline that wraps the underside of the fore. From here, the walls of the bowl flare to the semi-ovoid rim, shaped by two additional ridgelines along each flank. Nestled within the bowl is an impressively sized tobacco chamber, coming in at over two inches deep, ensuring plenty of time for longer smoking sessions. The linework continues along the underside, giving the mostly rounded shank a pointed base as it rises to the shoulders of an acrylic saddle stem. The inky mouthpiece completes the pipe's bend to the bit, its dark hues complementing Ardor's Giove finish that dresses the stummel in a warm, walnut stain.