Ardor: Urano Bent Apple (17) (Jeff Knoll) 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. Ardor is known for their occasional collaboration with prominent members of the pipe community, coming together with them to craft unique shapes that bear their name. This particular bent Apple was designed in partnership with Jeff Knoll, the president of the North American Society of Pipe Collectors (NASPC), and it boasts a unique, compressed shape through the flanks. Said compression is most prominent at the bowl, though the sides maintain a good bit of plump rounding which keeps things comfortable in the hand. The transition is wide enough to drape a digit and gives way to a softly tapering stretch of lifted shank and smartly downturned stem, its compressed look lined at the underside with a pair of firm ridges that plunge through into the heel. Dressed in a craggy rustication and dark stain, courtesy of the Urano finish, this pipe is rich with texture and boasts a unique aesthetic.