 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
COMMENT:
I don't like to use the word freeform in the case of a shape that I personally consider to be, in and by itself, an interpretation of a classic shape. You see, the Volcano, in my opinion and long-term experience, is an interpretation of the classic Dublin; the Volcano shape seems to have gained its independent status maybe only in the past decade or so. So, if the Volcano is a Freeform Dublin, what is a Freeform Volcano?! Well, in this case, it's a Volcano that is quite different in the overall design that it has to be set apart from a "straightforward" Volcano as we know it. This pipe is the ultimate when it comes to a very, very innovative and creative interpretation of a classic shape, in general, and of the Volcano, in particular. When you look at the bowl shape, you indeed see the shape of a volcano, but in this case, the bowl base is oval, rather than round (first deviation from the original Volcano). Then the bowl rim is clearly not as large as the bowl base; moreover, the bowl rim (or opening of the tobacco chamber) is perfectly round, as opposed to the oval shape of the bowl base. If you also look at the line delineating the bowl base, you see the concave shape, which runs all the way till the end of the shank and beginning of the mouthpiece. The shank is most definitely one of the major players here. It comes in a square shape, which is not normally associated with the round/oval shape of the bowl; not only is it not common, but it is quite difficult to achieve without compromising the overall balance of the shape design. As a matter of fact, Claudio did just a wonderful jobs making these two contrasting shapes fit together that it is difficult to imagine the shape otherwise. The shank is not only square, but is is also tapered, measuring 25mm (0.95 of an inch) at the bowl's end and 18mm (0.71 of an inch), at the mouthpiece. Claudio clearly went a step further in his effort to make this quite a unique and attractive design; he added a massive olivewood insert to the mouthpiece, which stands as the base of the mouthpiece; he didn't apply any stain to this insert, which means he had to fit his logo on the insert, as opposed to the acrylic base of the mouthpiece. For this reason, the logo has quite a different look from the ordinary Cavicchi logo, though it is the same. It's all due to the reduced contract between the logo colors and the color of the olivewood insert. Just imagine the amount of work and time that Claudio put into the making of only the mouthpiece! Anyway, what I'm also trying to see here is the fact that the massive olivewood insert is part of the mouthpiece, and not the shank. Though the pipe is huge when it comes to external dimensions and the amount of wood used, the tobacco chamber is only as large as a Dunhill pipe in the size group 6 (I know it's quite large, but for Cavicchi, it's closer to medium than to large)! |
|
