Sandblasted Morta Bent Bulldog (B) Tobacco Pipe

Massimiliano "Max" Rimensi began working with wood in his uncle's shop at age 14, giving him a fascination with carpentry that preceded the purchase of his first pipe. It was in that same shop that Max made his first pipe, the result of which didn't satisfy him but the process of which enthralled him. Though located in Occhiobello, southwest of Venice near Italy's Adriatic coast, Max's fanciful shapes take inspiration from all over, crafted with briar he lets dry for years before shaping.

The stummel of this bent Bulldog from Max's workshop is made of sandblasted morta — oak that has been preserved over time in peat bogs. The result, in Max's capable hands, is a sleekly dark stummel with uniformly straight vertical grain running all the way from the junction to the point of the fore. Only the space between the beadlines on the bowl briefly interrupts the grain before it picks right back up again, and the effect of following the grain with the eyes is mesmerizing. A lightly bent cumberland stem finishes the piece, matching perfectly with the diamond-shaped shank and tapering gradually back to the bit.