Underwood Bent Tomato Tobacco Pipe

The idea behind "melting wax" finishes, distinctive to the Italian school, is as the name implies to create an impression of a bowl formed from a candle which has seen a good deal of burning. You don't usually see it on shapes so broadly proportioned as this bent Tomato, which requires a bit different of an approach. As you can see, instead of the usual suggestion of "drippings" the Radices' instead carved the upper bowl to create an impression of multiple layers of melted wax that have built up and stacked atop each other.

- Eric N. Squires