Il Duca: Sandblasted Morta Apple with Silver (B) Tobacco Pipe

Max Rimensi, the Italian artisan behind Il Duca, is one of the most versatile carvers working today. He has an uncanny ability to deftly shift between shaping styles, crafting designs that range from organic, Danish-inspired pieces to modernized renditions of shape-chart standards. This straight Apple design is Rimensi working in the mode of the latter, as he has crafted a classic, streamlined design, but updated it by rendering the stummel from morta instead of traditional briar. Morta is a petrified bog oak that's prized for its heat resistance and the mesmerizing grain patterns that are revealed once sandblasted.

This piece has, of course, been sandblasted, and wavy, hypnotic, equidistant striations cover the stummel beautifully. The inky blackness of the stummel is perfectly complemented by the color of the tapered vulcanite mouthpiece. A sterling silver accent at the shank end adds a dose of flash to the overall composition and ties together the design's formal, dress-pipe motif. Shape-wise, this piece pairs a pert, gently rounded bowl to a low-set shank-and-stem arrangement for a sleek, minimalist profile. The plump heel and subtly cheeked transition lend the bowl a bit of extra definition that distinguishes it within the overall design, while still maintaining a keen sense of balance with shank. It's a handsome, elegant piece of craftsmanship from Rimensi, and it will no doubt become a regular fixture in a collector's rotation.