Il Duca: Sandblasted Natural Bent Apple with Red Palm (B) Tobacco Pipe

Max Rimensi, the artisan behind Il Duca pipes, incorporates shaping cues and design flourishes from a variety of different pipe makers. His deep knowledge and appreciation for the craft makes his work some of the most unique and interesting in the world of artisan pipe making, as it refuses to be pinned down to just one school of design. His portfolio features pipes that range from the highly organic to the more traditional, but no matter what he ends up fashioning, Rimseni designs pipes united by stylish finishes, sophisticated shaping, and superb engineering, as evidenced by this bent Apple.

Bold and muscular, this piece features a broad, stout-walled bowl that's hoisted at the fore of the composition by a gently lifted heel. The bowl's softly contoured insulating walls offer plenty of substance for the fingers to embrace, while the shank-and-stem arrangement strikes a comfortable smoking posture and accentuates the bowl's active posture. A crisp, natural sandblast dresses the stummel and coaxes out rippling waves of grain across the flanks of the bowl. With time and use, the stummel should patinate, taking on tans, browns, and golds. An accent of red palm adorns the shank face and provides a pop of color to the composition for further visual appeal.