Mastro Geppetto: Liscia Paneled Bent Billiard Churchwarden (2) Tobacco Pipe

Giancarlo Guidi founded Ser Jacopo in 1982, building a reputation on crafting high-quality briars that are renowned for their robust proportions and playful shaping cues. The Italian atelier's style has since defined the Pesaro style of pipe making, each of their pipes imbued with a sense of character and reflecting the whimsical creativity that went into crafting them. Mastro Geppetto is Ser Jacopo's sub-brand of more accessibly priced pipes that still maintain a high quality of workmanship. Crafted in the Ser Jacopo workshop, these pieces embody the playful Pesaro style of their pricier counterparts. Churchwardens aren't the rarest kind of pipe produced by Mastro Geppetto, though this particular take on the shape is especially unique, being a Dublin-like take on the bent Billiard. The bowl flares gently at the flanks before tapering subtly to the rim, and its look in silhouette is immediately reminiscent of the Dublin, though its walls are nearly straight, with a slightly expanded waist and a very gentle taper to the rim at the fore wall. These walls are surrounded by an octet of firm panels, making it extremely muscular in hand, aided by the bowl's impressively thick construction. Out back, a wide transition pairs this bowl to a tapering shank and long, similarly tapering stem of black acrylic, extending this piece to more than ten inches long and granting it a willowy look. Dressed in a warm, rich, chestnut-hued finish, the stummel showcases cross grain through the flanks, with birdseye displayed across the fore panels.