Sandblasted Bent Apple with Boxwood (Turtle) Tobacco Pipe

Gabriele Dal Fiume has a penchant for bent Apple renditions such as this one. The form is charmingly compact and conveniently lightweight and diminutive — not even four and a half inches in length — and it touches on common themes within the Italian artisan's personal aesthetic. Maintaining the momentum initiated by the curling shank-and-stem combination, the bowl cants forward, marked by a voluptuous curves the prompt cheeking at both sides of the transition. Such shaping ensures that, while this piece is easily pocketable, it remains substantial in hand and conforms well to wrapped fingers. Furthermore, the color palette is typical of Gabriele's work, here wearing a ruddy, contrast-stained sandblast. The cumberland stem complements the tones of the stain, and the boxwood accent ring, a common Gabriele accoutrement, provides just the right amount of color contrast, separating the complementary hues of the stem and stummel.