Talamona L'Artigiano Straight Billiard 119

• Overall Length: 127mm
• Overall Height: 44mm
• Bowl Height: 44mm
• Bowl Width: 35mm
• Bore: 19mm
• Filter: None
• Weight: 53g
• Pipe Bag Included

Talamona L'Artigiano Straight Billiard 119

There's a reason the straight billiard has survived generations of pipe makers tinkering with shapes. The proportions are remarkably difficult to improve upon. A cylindrical bowl, a shank running straight from its base and a stem that carries the line neatly to the mouthpiece. Simple to draw, rather less simple to get right.

This Talamona L'Artigiano 119 makes an interesting case for leaving a successful design alone.

The bowl stands tall and almost architectural, its dark brown finish revealing flashes of coppery grain wherever the light catches it. Look closely at the heel and there's some particularly attractive movement in the briar. The maker has kept the rim flat, the shank substantial and the transition into the black stem crisp, marked by a narrow silver-coloured ring.

The billiard's appeal has always been partly practical. Its upright bowl is familiar in the hand, and the straight arrangement gives easy access when passing a pipe cleaner through the stem.

The Italian influence here is in the finish and the attention given to the briar, rather than any extravagant departure from the established shape. Sensible, really. A billiard that's been around this long has already endured quite enough redesign committees.