Ser Jacopo: Insanus Rusticated Double Barrel with Silver (R1) (D) (2) (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

Ser Jacopo never ceases to surprise me with their shaping, as nearly every pipe they produce showcases their unique, Pesaro style, though none so much as their Insanus series. Translating directly as "Insane", it is no surprise that these pieces are completely out of the ordinary, with some possessed of steep, seemingly impossible curves, others looking as if they're broken, and this one featuring two chambers in the same bowl. Yes, you read this correctly. This Double Barrel, rather than featuring two Barrel bowls, has a chamber on top and a chamber on the bottom in one very large barrel bowl, though really this is a pipe that makes you understand that perspective is relative. Additionally, and appropriately, we see two shanks, a shank cap, and a stem, either of which can attach to either shank, determining which bowl is to be smoked from. Both shank ends are adorned with silver, and as are both rims, and, despite its looks, this pipe is super comfortable in the hand, as you can drape your forefinger over the capped end's shank, and wrap your middle finger around the bowl beneath it, the thumb wrapping around opposite the middle finger. All of the briar here, save for the exposed portions of the rims, is dressed in a textural rustication and stained a terracotta hue, contrasting the silver's flash and the black acrylic of the stem and cap, for a striking, refreshing palette that accentuates the insane shaping which the Italian workshop has achieved.