Savinelli Autograph: Autograph Smooth Bent Apple (4) (6mm) Tobacco Pipe

Every Autograph pipe is a little different, Savinelli's premiere artisans getting the opportunity to shape pipes from select pieces of briar according to their creative inclinations, not the Italian marque's standard pipe chart. This one makes me think of a Cup and Ball design, with a pronounced shank with a paneled underside reaching all the way under a spherical Apple bowl, terminating in front of where the heel normally would be formed as a pointy punctuation mark of neoclassic styling. A warm smooth finish dresses the stummel in a gleaming array of natural beauty, with the flame grain on the right flank especially vibrant. A healthy handful of briar, it comes in at a fifth of a pound, yielding a comforting presence in hand and a dramatic, eye-catching profile.