Smooth Tomato with Warthog Tusk (Nautilus) Tobacco Pipe

A Tomato shape with less vertical compression than on many iterations, hewing toward the Apple shape while preserving its low slung appeal, this smooth piece from Gabriele Dal Fiume offers a concise and carefully curved form with a wide shank, its proportions similar to those often employed by the Danish school of pipe making. The rim is narrow and presents a dramatically chamfered angle into the bowl, a feature I appreciate in my own pipes because I spill less tobacco when filling the bowl.

The gently curved cumberland stem includes a perfectly circular expansion ring at its base, delivering a geometrically precise juxtaposition against the natural, undulating texture provided by the end of the warthog-tusk accent, which is smooth and creamy white where it meets the shank and graduating into rugged tans and browns at its termination. Spherically inclined and devoted to soft and gradual curvature in design, this piece provides sophisticated shaping punctuated by the fitment of natural tusk. It's also a pipe that sits well on a flat surface, offering convenience as well as sculptural admiration.