Caminetto: Partially Sandblasted Bent Dublin (06) (AT) Tobacco Pipe

Roberto Ascorti carries a rich family tradition of pipe making craftsmanship on his shoulders, an august burden he now shares with his son Tommaso. This pipe is stamped "AT" to denote that is solely the younger Ascorti's work, and presents his skill in dramatic, eye-catching fashion. The towering, widely flaring bowl rises from a comparatively trim, flattened heel that lends this piece an alluring check-mark-like profile, the grain radiating up in tight stacks of growth rings toward both rim and shank end. The transition is a tight turn, with the shank leaping skywards at an angle mirroring that of the bowl, with a lean, elegantly downturned acrylic saddle stem extending the profile to provide visual and physical balance. A rich, dark stain dances across the stimulating sandblasted finish, buffed to accentuate the high points in the briar, while the rim is left smooth to better highlight flecks of birdseye.