Castello: 'Castello' Bent Billiard (KKKK) Tobacco Pipe

This bent Billiard is quite remarkably compact considering its proportions, measuring in at less than five and a half inches long. The bowl, however, falls more in line with the Italian neoclassical shaping style we're used to seeing from Castello, thanks to its over two inches of height and equally capacious chamber. The sleek length of shank and stem squarely roots the visual weight of this pipe at the bowl, with this rear half possessed of a continuous taper from the transition to the button. Not only does this magnify the presence of the bowl, but it offers a kind of lithe, elegant poise which offsets that presence a touch, keeping things looking balanced and offering a comfortable smoking posture with its demure curvature. The transition is slightly angular and sweeps forward toward the aft of the bowl, working in tandem with the angle of the heel to cant the bowl forward a bit, adding a degree of dynamism to the profile and keeping it lively. The Italian workshop's eponymous finish dresses most of the bowl with a smooth auburn stain that reveals flickering flame grain wrapping around the bowl, while the underside of the bowl and the shank are covered in a textural rustication.