Smooth Light Paneled Bent Dublin (Three Jellyfish) Tobacco Pipe

From a young age, Italian artisan Simone Gaudenzi has always been drawn to pipes and holds a longstanding appreciation for their rich history as both works of art and as functional objects embedded within the deeply personal ritual of smoking. A pipe smoker since his early adulthood, Guadenzi wouldn't join the world of pipe making until 1998, when he began working under the mentorship of Giancarlo Guidi at the famed Ser Jacopo workshop. It was here that he developed a keen eye for design and a deep appreciation for the Pesaro style, which his own portfolio demonstrates today. Gaudenzi's work also includes plenty of homage to his other great passion: the sea. The artisan took a break from pipe making for quite a while to work in a shipyard, but he returned to the Ser Jacopo workshop in 2014, and went on to carve pipes for several different brands before establishing own. He has named his own brand Valbruna after the legendary submerged city that's rumored to lie somewhere off the coast of his hometown — an Italian Atlantis of sorts. Moreover, the Valbruna grading system is also heavily influenced by the aquatic, with each piece stamped with a certain number of jellyfish to denote its size and quality, and some earning the Calypso or Atlantis designation.

With its three-jellyfish grade, this paneled bent Dublin is a handsome offering from Valbruna in terms of both grain and shaping, which coalesce quite harmoniously thanks to Gaudenzi's skilled hand. A thoroughly architectural, geometric take on the bent Dublin, this paneled offering is informed by exceptionally crisp ridgelines from stem to rim. The tall bowl flares dramatically from its narrow heel to its thick, square rim, and it houses a generous chamber within. Out back, the shank-and-stem arrangement arches subtly before tapering toward the stem's bit, adding just a touch of fluidity to the otherwise rigid, geometric form. Hearty tendrils of flame grain climb the bowl's walls and the flanks of the shank, while birdseye dances along the rim, underside, and top of the shank. These lovely grain patterns are dressed in a light, smooth finish that accentuates without overwhelming the eye.