Il Cerchio: Sandblasted Tomato with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Il Cerchio pipes (meaning "The Circle" in Italian) are handmade by Angelo Del Prete in Italy. He began carving pipes in 2018, after operating his own tobacconist's shop for several years. An experienced woodworker, del Prete received instruction from Massimiliano Rimensi and Davide Iafisco, learning much from his early mentors and cultivating a style deeply influenced by the Danish masters, as well as contemporary carvers from the United States. A martial artist as well as an artisan, Del Prete draws inspiration from such techniques to create a stye marked by balance and dynamism.

This Tomato is a fine example of Del Prete's work, featuring a heavily domed rim that blends seamlessly into the bowl's walls, which pinch at the flanks, lending the design a strong, forward-urging stance. The transition is deeply cheeked, drawing the eye to the bowl, while the shank joins a lengthy horn accent that flares at its junction to a deftly hand-cut saddle stem of ochre vulcanite. Dressed in a fine black sandblast, the stummel boasts impeccably textured growth rings that swirl around the bowl.