Becker: Sandblasted Poker (Two Clubs) Tobacco Pipe

A third-generation pipe maker, Federico Becker continues the legacy started by his father and grandfather in the 1970s. This Poker design is emblematic of Federico's shaping style, as it possesses a mixture of sleek, understated lines and sharp, angular points. The rim and heel here are mirror images of one another, the fore-favoring slope of the rim matched by the downward angle of the heel. Both heel and rim come to defined points at their respective crests, and these dramatic protrusions lend the composition a forward-driving momentum that's easily identifiable in profile. The bowl, in typical Italian neoclassical style, holds most of the visual weight within the composition and overshadows the pencil-thin shank and a tapered vulcanite mouthpiece that stretch out back. A crisp, dark sandblast dresses the stummel and unveils whispers of rippling grain along the bowl, save for the shank end, heel, and rim, which are all left smooth and stained a lighter hue for contrast.