Ser Jacopo: Maior Sandblasted Bent Billiard (S1) (A) Tobacco Pipe

This bent Billiard from Ser Jacopo presents with a far more reserved profile than the Italian workshop usually crafts, with a very balanced sense of proportion throughout the composition. The shank-and-stem combination begins at a wide transition, the negative space leaving plenty of room to drape a thumb, and starts a consistent taper from that point, running to the button and slenderizing the aft side of this piece quite nicely. The bowl is a plump, pert, bulb which is handsomely rounded on all sides, offering a comfortable feel in hand, a slight taper to the rim reminding me a bit of the Apple shape, given the relative squatness of the bowl as a whole. At just over five and a half inches long and under 40 grams in weight, this pipe is a handy and portable bit of Italian craftsmanship, and it's here dressed in the iconic Maior sandblast, with large dark sections of burl striated by tan-hued lines, resembling crackling earth.