Becker: ***Smooth Pot (Two Hearts) Tobacco Pipe

Third-generation carver Federico Becker continues to craft pipes in a manner established by his father Paolo and Becker workshop founder/grandfather Fritz, while adding his own individualized style. This compact Pot is a departure from Federico's more angular design style, with the bowl displaying a round, flattened heel rather than his signature sharply pointed version, which is more commonly seen. The bowl is low-lying and stocky but not disproportionately so, with a rounded, sloping rim. The svelte shank-and-stem arrangement extends downward ever-so-slightly from the bowl, touching down at the shank end for an almost Poker-like profile. The stummel is dressed in a smooth, honey-blonde finish of natural, virgin briar, highlighting lovely windswept wisps of grain, while the jet-black stem is accented by twin, pale rings of boxwood at its base. This pipe is an amazing example of the Italian carver's shaping instincts and is a perfect size for pocket carry.