Ser Jacopo: **Picta Miro Spongia Rusticated Billiard with Silver (R2) (C) (8) Tobacco Pipe

Ser Jacopo's Picta line comprises individual collections of pipes inspired by famous artists and their works, including those from Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and René Magritte. In this case, however, we have a Billiard inspired by the work of Joan Miro, specifically a version of his series Head of a Catalan Peasant , a sequence of gradually simplifying renditions of the same image, each becoming more abstract. The painting that inspired this pipe, though, clearly depicts a pipe, one which inspires this impressively accurate rendering. The design is angular, sharp, simple and straightforward, a pipe made to be practical and muscular, though imbued with a distinct sense of movement, its ramp-like shape causing the eye to visualize implied lines. The stummel is dressed in a natural rustication, and the bottom is flat, allowing for sturdy sitting, all of which enhance the practical character of this pipe.

-John McElheny