Ser Jacopo: Niger Smooth Bent Apple (L) (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

Ser Jacopo was founded in 1982 by legendary pipe maker Giancarlo Guidi. The workshop cultivated their signature Pesaro style, which delights in dramatic flourishes and whimsical stylings, even more so than the already playful Italian tradition. Sadly, Guidi passed away in 2012, but Ser Jacopo carries on his legacy. This bent Apple design is a rare one from the Italian brand, showcasing a remarkable sinuousness through its shank and stem combination. This sinuousness is starkly contrasted by the shank's own shaping, as it's framed by a quartet of panels in square configuration, creating a delightful conflux of textures and easily balancing the visual weight of the bowl. In addition to lending this piece an extremely dynamic silhouette, the shank and stem grant it a comfortable smoking posture poised for easy jaw-hanging. Up front, the bowl stands on a sweeping, slightly lifted heel and grows supple, plump walls that curve nicely into a mid-set waist before arcing toward the flat rim. A forward cant through the bowl's walls further enhances the dynamic feel of this pipe, and highlights the stummel's rich, dark stain. Courtesy of the Niger series, the briar is dressed in an inky finish, revealing smoky tendrils of flame grain that streak up the walls of the bowl.