Smooth Bent Egg (D) Tobacco Pipe

This broad, ultra-smooth bent Egg design is clearly Danish-inspired, though that doesn't stop Massimiliano Rimensi from injecting plenty of his own style into things as well. Most obvious is the dark, ultra-rich, yet subtle contrast finish, which beautifully presents a briar that bears a wealth of spectacular birdseye for and aft, as well as some quite fair flame grain running along either flank. The accent is something new to me, though - Max appears to have originally shaped a long shank, then lopped it in half, turned the material he removed 90 degrees, re-attached it, then finished the final shaping to create smooth, continuous contours while also finishing it in a lighter, more traditional bengal stain for contrast. The result is novel, as the accent continues the form perfectly, and the breadth of birdseye and flame grain patterns are the same, despite having been rotated out of sync, all together resulting in an unusual combination of complement and contrast.

- Eric N. Squires