Sandblasted Morro Vermelho Billiard Tobacco Pipe

Brazilian pipe maker Flávia Rodrigues breathes new life into classic pipe shapes, exhibiting both excellent engineering and bold expression in her work. Inspired by nature, she often utilizes organic materials for her accents, especially those native to Brazil, such as Brazilian jabuticaba, horn, and precious metals. The second addition to Rodrigues' ongoing Morro Vermelho series, this Billiard bespeaks the artisan's affinity for nature and her aptitude for crafting fine smoking instruments.

The silhouette of this piece is clean and sleek, with a softly rounded Billiard bowl poised at the fore of a slender shank-and-stem arrangement. Subtle cheeking at the transition emphasizes the gentle curve about the pipe's heel, its softness adding to the piece's overall organic sensibilities. The stummel's low-profile sandblast adds another organic element, adding a bit of earthy texture without looking overly manufactured. The deep auburn hue of the sandblast beautifully offsets the pale hue of the brindled stem, and both are characteristic of the pipe's namesake series.

Flávia Rodrigues' Morro Vermelho series is a love letter to her home state of Minas Gerais, with each piece evoking the region through its shape, texture, and color. "Morro Vermelho" translates to "Red Hill" in English, and the sandblast of this Billiard indeed evokes the rocky cliffs and their red hue, with contrast added to symbolize the iron-rich minerals found in the region. The stem of this Billiard evokes the pastel hues of the dry season in the "Cerrado Mineiro", or the savanna of Minas Gerais, its tones matching those of the parched earth, scorched vegetation, and gray-green leaves that have resisted the drought.