Il Duca: Sandblasted Morta Shield with Bamboo (B) Tobacco Pipe

Max Rimensi, the carver behind Il Duca pipes, is a true student of pipe making, and as such, he takes inspiration from a wide range of design schools. Design cues from Danish, Italian, and Anglo-French pipe makers can be found in Rimensi's work, but that's not to say Rimseni is unoriginal. Rimsensi takes his various influences and elevates them through his personal creative vision, resulting in truly original work that dazzles with sophistication and elegance.

Crafted from morta, a petrified bog oak prized for its heat-resistance and mesmerizing grain, this Shield aptly showcases Rimensi's keen eye for shaping and finishing. As is common for the form, a crisp ridgeline wraps around the bowl here, descending from the rim, forming a spur-like heel, and ascending the other side back to the rim. This pronounced ridgeline lends definition to the bowl's otherwise curvaceous form and accentuates the fore wall's slightly raised posture. The bowl's muscular build is balanced at the end of a slender shank-and-stem arrangement that curls ever-so-slightly downward toward the bit for a comfortable smoking posture. The shank is extended by three knuckles of dark bamboo, whose complexion and naturalistic character perfectly complement the morta stummel's sandblasted finish. Said finish highlights the morta's hypnotic grain patterns, which ripple across all sides of the bowl.