Claudio Cavicchi: Smooth Bent Egg (CCC) Tobacco Pipe

Claudio Cavicchi has earned a reputation since the 1970s as a master of pipe carving and one of the chief artisans working in the Italian neoclassic style. This bent Egg is a fine example of Cavicchi's work, featuring a pert, rounded bowl with supple walls that rests on a firm, jutting heel at the fore of a pinched transition that serves to further emphasize the bowl's curvaceous walls. Out back, a sleek round shank gradually expands in diameter, joined to a comfortably bent saddle stem of black acrylic, offering an effortless clench. Dressed in Cavicci's signature honey-blonde stain, the stummel boasts fine flame grain around the bowl, with dense birdseye at the rim and heel that merit a prestigious 3-C grade designation.