Ser Jacopo: "La Pipaccia" Rowlette Rusticated Calabash (1) (D) Tobacco Pipe

The late Giancarlo Guidi lived in the Adriatic port of Pesaro, Italy, and had a long-standing fascination with the pipes that he saw smoked by mariners from far away lands. In 1996, he began the La Pipaccia series as a type of homage to those novel pipes. As is often the case with La Pipaccia pipes, in the "01" we find a Calabash design that appears to have been inspired by a pipe of composite construction, as indicated by the multitude of turned features along the upper bowl, and the long briar extension here integrated into the stem. This makes for a look that's striking and quite handsome overall, though especially when paired with the singular "melting wax" look of the Italian workshop's Rowlette finish, stained a warm auburn across the carved sections, the smooth parts standing out in contrast with their honeyed hues.