Savinelli Autograph: Autograph Smooth Freehand (8) Tobacco Pipe

Savinelli's Autograph is the Italian marque's limited-production, handmade series, utilizing specially aged extra-extra plateau briar and being crafted by only three of the brand's most experienced carvers. From start to finish, the process of crafting a single one of these pipes is handled by a single one of these veteran craftsmen, the series providing them with design freedom and allowing them to express their personal creativity. Instantly reminiscent of both the Cauldron and the Urn shape, this piece from the Autograph line features a robust bowl and a hearty shank and stem combination, making for a robust feel in hand. The transiton is raised from the heel and offers plenty of room to drape a digit, and it gives way to a thick shank that lifts to meet a demurely downturned stem of tapering black acrylic. Up front, the bowl stands on a rounded, pronounced heel and grows robust walls that cinch at the mid-set waist before flaring out expressively to a broad, domed rim. Dressed in a warm, rich stain and slightly glossy smooth finish, the stummel showcases dense streaks of flame wrapping the bowl, striated by visible growth rings.