Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Bent Dublin (CCCC) Tobacco Pipe

While Claudio Cavicchi is well known for his dramatically proportioned neoclassical pipes, he's also been known to put modern twists on classic shapes, with this bent Dublin being an excellent example. The bowl here is broad, tall, and expansive, though it holds a rather reserved chamber inside of its thick, insulating walls, all as it sits atop a pointed heel that pushes out toward the fore from the underside of the shank. The underside is actually flattened and this point acts as the profile of a platform that spans the length of the shank, allowing rather stable sitting of this pipe and terminating at the shank end's flare. The shank end, too, is unique, with a sweeping curve through its face that presents as a stylish flare and sharp point at the bottom, doing well with the heel to balance the visual weight of the robust bowl. Paired to the shank is a trim saddle stem with a single expansion ring at the base which matches the firm ridges that outline the underside and face of the shank. The wealth of briar in this "CCCC" graded piece makes a lovely canvas for Cavicchi's iconic honey-blonde stain, revealing flame grain that follows the shank and wraps the bowl in dense streaks, the top and underside covered in swirls of birdseye.