Il Duca: Smooth Acorn with Bamboo (D) Tobacco Pipe

Massimiliano Rimensi is an accomplished artisan based in Ferrara, Italy, who combines Italian and Danish style cues to create a unique aesthetic all his own. He produces pipes under the Il Duca name in honor of his native Ferrara's history under the dukes of House D'Este. This bent Apple is an excellent example of Rimensi's work, featuring a supple bowl with curvaceous walls that taper down to a jutting, spurred heel, while the bowl is crowned with a forwar-urging, angular rim. Eminently comfortable in hand, the bowl rests at the fore of a particularly sleek round shank that arcs out to meet a lithe bamboo section, emerging gracefully from a defined transition. The four knuckles of sleek bamboo are relatively dark and blend with the hand-cut vulcanite stem, which has been carved at the junction to blend seamlessly into the texture of the grass. Dressed in a rich auburn finish, the stummel boasts impeccable birdseye at fore and aft, with tight cross grain around the flanks. This a rare offering from Rimensi, having earned his coveted Duca grade designation, making it certain to turn the heads of seasoned smokers.