Smooth Brown Rhodesian Tobacco Pipe

Ser Jacopo alum Simone Gaudenzi is well-trained in the Pesaro school of pipe making, which emphasizes clean lines and panache in design. Today, Gaudenzi crafts Valbruna pipes in the small town of Gabicce Mare on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, which plays an important role in the company's nomenclature: per Adriatic legend, Valbruna is a lost, sunken city like Atlantis. Gaudenzi ages the briar for his pipes, which are produced in limited quantities.

This is a classic rendition of the Rhodesian on Gaudenzi's part, fronted by a lightly canted bowl decorated with leaning, arrow-straight flame grain across the shank and the bowl below the beadline. Birdseye coats the rim and the top of the bowl with a sharp contrast, though the entire stummel is smoothly finished and colored with a lovely mahogany stain. The tapered vulcanite stem follows subtle, almost unnoticeable curves with the top and bottom of the shank on its way back to the bit, awarding the profile of this piece a wonderful dose of grace.