Il Duca: Smooth Rhodesian Tobacco Pipe

Max Rimensi, known as Il Duca, has been honing his craftsmanship since the early 1990s, starting at just 14 years old. The name "Il Duca" pays homage to the historical rulers of his hometown, Ferrara, Italy. Rimensi's work is renowned for its elegance, favoring slender shapes that range from traditional Anglo-French designs to unconventional Freehands. Known for his versatility, Il Duca effortlessly navigates various design schools, infusing his portfolio with a contemporary aesthetic through unique takes on classic shapes and fine accent work.

Like many of Il Duca's Rhodesian designs, this piece holds a gentle, serpentine flow of almost Zulu-like nature. The under curvature starts at the bowl's lifted heel, pushing the bowl into prominence and magnifying the soft, easy-flowing lines throughout the composition. The dramatically lifted heel reaches to the tapered rim at a pair of beadlines, blending the softness of this design seamlessly into the architectural look of the Bulldog bowl. Informing the bowl's squatness, a thick ovoid shank emerges from a wide transition and meets a gingerly bent stem that tops off the design. The stummel is finished smooth, dressed in one of Rimensi's signature contrast stains that highlights fine tendrils of flame grain rising along the bowl's flanks and a sea of dense birdseye underneath.