Castello: Old America 2021 Aristocratica Bent Billiard (14.20) Tobacco Pipe

Castello has a tradition of releasing a special pipe series each year for the PCA (previously IPCPR) trade show in Las Vegas. In 2020, COVID-19 disrupted the tradition, so Castello started a new one: a special limited edition of Old America pipes comprised of a single shape in a variety of finishes and crafted in especially large proportions. The series was a popular one, and the tradition continues in 2021, this time with a bent Billiard in distinct neoclassic style.

This entry is numbered 14 of a total of 20 pipes in the series, and presents a dramatic, bowl-centric design with craggy plateau at the rim mirrored by stimulating rustication on the heel. It is dressed in Castello's iconic Aristocratica finish, a fumed motif with brilliant orange at the heel graduating to black at the rim, looking very much like an active flame. Originally produced from 1968 to 1979, the Aristocratica line started with pipes made specifically by Carlo Scotti to give to a select few of his close friends. The sheer size of this piece provides ample canvas for the finish and underlying grain patterns to be displayed, a true wealth of detail. A gently arcing, indigo blue acrylic stem stretches the overall length to nearly eight inches which, when combined with a height approaching three and the stunning finish, makes this a rare pipe that will command attention from across the room.