Il Duca: Sandblasted Reverse Calabash Dublin (B) Tobacco Pipe

Max Rimensi of Il Duca pipes possesses one of the most distinctive shaping styles in Italian pipe making, oftentimes forgoing the neoclassical tradition in favor of designs that bespeak a striking organicism, though are always full of his own personal flare. This bent Dublin here is one of his reverse Calabash designs, and is certainly closer to the neoclassical school than most of his other work, with an added sense of intense muscularity and heartiness which sets it apart from many others like it.

The shank and bowl are so thick that it is startling, maintaining an almost consistent girth through their build which is only offset by the bowl's flare to the rim and the shank's gentle taper toward its end. Despite this, or perhaps even because of it, the visual weight is incredibly well balanced here, sitting squarely at the transition and, due to this shape's extremely compact size, allowing one to fully appreciate its entire physique. A lot of attention has been paid to the curves of this pipe, with the shank's rounding smooth and steady, while the heel comprises a single sweeping curve into the fore of the bowl, working in concert with the transition to provide a feel in hand that is quite comfortable. Because of this, there's a good deal of softness to the shape of this pipe, with fluid curves abounding throughout the profile, tempering the muscular heft of the outline and creating a harmonious fusion of the two aspects that makes it a pleasure not only to hold but to study. Dressing the briar here is one of Rimensi's signature contrast stains atop a crisp sandblast, adorning the bowl with vibrant yellow hues that are offset by black striations of flame grain which reach out from the inky shank as ring grain cascades down the its surfaces.