Castello: Old Antiquari Pot (KK) Tobacco Pipe

Italian workshop Castello has a rich history that stretches back to 1947 with its founding by Carlo Scotti, being established as one of the first Italian brands to offer high-quality handmade pipes to the general public. In the 1960s, following the addition of Luigi Radice and Peppino Ascorti to their team of carvers, Castello's pipes began to take on a form that was quite different from the Anglo-French classics that they and others had been producing. The Italian neoclassical style which they had begun to develop led not only to a shaping renaissance within Italy but the production of a number of now-iconic profiles. A stout pipe of relatively compact dimensions, this straight Pot boasts a robust bowl with plenty of surface area for the fingers to wrap around. A wide transition leaves plenty of room to drape a thumb, and from here starts the thick shank's gradual taper toward the stem, keeping the aft side of the pipe a touch more svelte than it would be otherwise. The bowl here sits atop a rounded heel that lends the bowl a touch of softness near the bottom, and the walls that grow out of it take on an understated taper to the rim. A hearty and handsome pipe, its stummel is here dressed in the earthy stain and crisp sandblast of the Old Antiquari finish, offering handsome grain and ample texture.