Partially Rusticated Elephant's Foot Sitter with Mastodon Ivory Tobacco Pipe

This pipe is something new, something of a departure from Kent's previous work, and I'll be darned if I can take my eyes off of it. While Kent continues to maintain his signature bold, clean edges, and peerless use of contrasting textures and colors, this shape clearly enters new territory for the Danish master. Most of you who know Kent's work would probably agree that "whimsy" isn't a word that you would readily attach, but this pipe has a certain flamboyance, a soupcon of exuberance, and (yeah) even a dash of whimsy. There is part of me that thought "This is how Salvador Dali would do an elephant's foot". The rusticated panels show the expected convexity on the front, and concavity at the back, and even the top to bottom taper of the side panels run fairly close to Hoyle. But after that, all bets are off as Kent "melts" the body, almost creating a new form in the process. Kent then creates a kind of "wink" by creating a sternly architectural mount to finish the playful body. The grain of this pipe is as fine as you will encounter, and the ivory and bit work is impeccable. This pipe deserves a big round of applause.

--Bear Graves