Becker: Smooth Pot (Four Hearts) Tobacco Pipe

Third-generation pipe maker Federico Becker continues the legacy started by his father and grandfather in the 1970s, by offering high-quality smoking instruments that are not only stylish but expertly engineered. Federico often imbues his shapes with a sharp-lined angularity that give his compositions a thoroughly geometric appearance, and that remains true for this stout, bowl-centric Pot design.

While not as bowl-centric as some other designs found in the Italian neoclassical school, this piece still keeps most of the visual weight anchored at the front. The bowl's sharp, protruding fore, subtly paneled heel, and ridgeline-wrapped rim are all juxtaposed against the sleek, understated lines of the shank-and-stem arrangement, a shaping cue Becker often employs to accentuate the structural nature of the bowl itself. The hawkish protrusion at the fore of the bowl offers a sense of cutting dynamism to the shape, like the prow of a ship, leading the overall design forward. The chamfered rim, near the tobacco chamber, slightly softens the geometrical appearance of the bowl while also encouraging the easy loading of a favored blend. It's all stylishly presented in a honey-hued smooth finish that highlights the tight licks of flame grain on either flank of the bowl for plenty of visual intrigue.