Il Duca: Sandblasted Bent Egg (B) Tobacco Pipe

Max Rimensi, the carver behind Il Duca pipes, fashions some truly eye-catching pieces, all of which are united by his sophisticated engineering, stylish finishes, and unfettered creativity. Rimensi takes inspirations from all sorts of pipes and schools of design, and he crafts everything from Anglo-French standards to more organic forms, like this stylish bent Egg.

The bent Egg is a shape Rimensi returns to with some frequency, and it's easy to see why when considering this particular offering. Tall and ever-so-slightly canted, the bowl here rises atop a pointed, Acorn-like heel and boasts a subtle expansion across its waistline. The bowl houses a chamber capacity over two inches deep, which should ensure plenty of long, leisurely smoking sessions. Even given the bowl's towering posture and substantial build, the overall form remains fairly lightweight in hand, in part thanks to the slender shank-and-stem arrangement that curls out back. A crisp, contrast-stained sandblast dresses the stummel and coaxes out vivid waves of grain across the bowl's flanks, providing plenty of visual and tactile appeal.