Il Duca: Sandblasted Morta Bent Bulldog (B) Tobacco Pipe

Il Duca pipes are handmade in Italy by Max Rimensi, the name "Il Duca" honoring the historic rulers of his hometown Ferrara. His design style often favors slender shapes, exuding a high degree of refinement and elegance and spanning classic and more avant-garde shapes alike. Within his portfolio, this particular bent Bulldog rendition is among Rimensi's most common.

The Italian artisan has fashioned a number morta pipes, both the medium and this particular design having become one of his signatures. Characterized by an easy, elegant disposition, the squat bowl rises naturally and seamlessly from out of the bulbous underside. It's heavily imbued with the carver's organic style, the serpentine, diamond shank flaring into the transition like that of the broad Eskimo design. The sandblasted morta provides a crisp and concise texture, unique to the dense medium, and makes for a wonderful color palette, pairing ebony with a warm cumberland stem, the variegated nature of the cumberland matching well with the visual texture of the morta.