Musico: Smooth Billiard with Silver (Club) Tobacco Pipe

This Billiard from Musicò is a stout example of the classic profile, presenting with ample thickness about its stummel and especially at the bowl: creating a more decidedly Italian aesthetic that we're used to seeing from the brand. The transition is wide, with plenty of room to drape a digit, and it gives way to a hearty, short shank that's capped with a stylized silver military mount. A slender stem of tapering black vulcanite fits to the pipe at the sturdy mount, enhancing the practical charm of this piece by allowing it to be broken down and cleaned with ease. Up front, the bowl stands on a rounded heel and grows thick walls that take on a subtly arcing taper to the rim, a rim that's rounded at the fore and covered with plateau across the aft. Dressed in a warm, rich, mahogany-hued stain, the stummel showcases streaks of flame grain surrounding the bowl.

In 1990, two notable sons of the pipe world joined together and opened up a shop together. Those two were Pablo Becker and Massimo Musicò, the sons of Fritz Becker and Giorgio Musicò, respectively, and two highly respected individuals within Italy's pipe sphere. Starting in 1995, the pair began making pipes together, with Pablo turning the stummels and Massimo crafting silver spigots and bands to pair with the pipes. The duo enjoyed great success during their partnership, but in 2002, Pablo decided to go back to making artisan pipes full-time under the Becker name. Massimo Continued making Musicò pipes, however, and added the Foundation name to subsequent releases, additionally including the rest of his family in the production of the pipes.