Caminetto: Smooth Freehand with Horn (AT) Tobacco Pipe

The Caminetto workshop was founded by Luigi Radice and Guiseppe Ascorti in the late 1960s, the pair establishing the brand after a lengthy tenure with Castello. Caminetto pipes quickly became a success, their unique design language cementing them as one of Italy's most respected makers. They've become especially renowned for their craggy rustications, with many of their pipes showcasing highly textural carving across their stummels. This is a striking Freehand piece from the Italian workshop, one that incorporates elements of the bent Dublin, Zulu, and Horn shapes to create a pipe unlike most others in Caminetto's portfolio. The transition here is wide, and it gives way to a sleekly tapering shank extended by a lengthy fitment of horn that continues the shank's taper, additionally acting as the junction to a demurely curved stem of black acrylic. Up front, the bowl seems to extend naturally out of the shank, its reserved flare to a high-set waist reminiscent of the Horn's consistent expansion from stem to rim. This waist is marked by a firm ridgeline and is followed by a gentle taper to the rim, the combination calling to mind the Rhodesian, all while the bowl cants, Zulu-like, forward. A remarkably compact pipe given the impressive height of its bowl, this piece is finished in a warm, smooth stain that showcases handsome grain.