Partially Rusticated Horn Tobacco Pipe

Horn careening into bent egg, like so many of Kent's pipes, this piece is particularly difficult to pidgeon-hole. Were it not for his decision to define the composition around the two intertwined planes, one defining the back/top of the bowl and the other defining the bottom and front, this wouldn't strike us as particularly horn like. It's fascinating that he's taking a technique normally used in one circumstance and applying it in another, creating a sense of ambiguity that is simultaneously intriguing and beautiful. The birdseye on the front of the bowl is superb, with loose birdseye covering the convex surface created by the ridged edges and bulging center of the panel. The shape is entirely carried into the saddle of the stem, creating a sense of coherence between the compositions two components. This is stunning work, though we would expect nothing less from Kent Rasmussen.

-- Sykes Wilford