Castello: Old Antiquari Bent Pot (KKKK) 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. Scores of literature have been written on Castello's signature "55" design — the lovely bent Pot shape seen here. In fact, to many Castello aficionados, the simple mention of the number "55" will elicit a glimmer of longing in the eye or, at the very least, a casual smile. It's simply an unforgettable shape and one that has spawned countless facsimiles and clones. None have been able to achieve the poise and grandeur of the original "55," though, despite decades of attempts. This rendition from the Italian workshop closely adheres to that iconic archetype with its proud bowl, firm, jutting heel, and graceful Prince-like bend to its stem, the stem itself paired to the stummel via a matching military mount of black acrylic. Dressed in the crisp sandblast and earthy stain of the Old Antiquari series, this pipe showcases handsome grain and offers a serious palette.