Il Duca: Smooth Bent Billiard with Silver (D) Tobacco Pipe

With an eclectic design style that spans hearty, affably chubby shapes as well as those of incredibly elegant and gestural stature, Max Rimensi has carved Il Duca pipes with the precise craftsmanship, stunning finishes, and sublime stem work for the better part of two decades. A former electrician, Rimensi's proficiency with tools has informed his pipe-making craftsmanship, fashioning custom instruments that both streamline his process and result in more exacting, better functioning pipes. This particular bent Billiard falls on the more sleek and graceful side of shaping spectrum, yet it's readily recognized as an Il Duca pipe in its sense of curvatures, striking proportions, and signature finish.

Immediately, this pipe's profile draws contrast between the serpentine and streamlined shank and stem and the more robust bowl. Because of its Stack-like height, the bowl retains a relatively trimness, but compared to the shank, it's a bold and hearty affair, offering plenty of chamber and a broad canvas for stunning grain. Swathes of flame sweep the flanks as they rise to the rim, and the briar's quality is maximized by one of Rimensi's signature, ochre-hued contrast stains, adding vibrancy and eye-catching appeal to the composition. The trajectory of the grain, then, informs the shank's lithe upward curl, and it's capped by a generous accent of sterling silver before the hand-cut vulcanite stem continues the pipe's dynamic stance for a long and sleek profile that counteracts the bowl's considerable height.