Sandblasted Horn with Mazurbirch Tobacco Pipe

I love the bold, anvil-like rim on this striking horn shape from Kent Rasmussen. It shares some elements with his other horn shapes, but where those are soft, baroque-like creations, with planes and surfaces folded into one another, this is a much more bold, masculine statement in briar. The concave rim, with the back rising to a ridge created by the sides of the bowl and the front rising to meet the upward sweeping lines of the bottom and front of the bowl, creates a solidity and groundedness that seems to almost contradict Kent's more wistful compositions.

The ring grain that graces the sides of the bowl and the sandblasted birdseye on the bottom are nothing short of exceptional. The light tan stain complements the super grain perfectly, further set off by the mazurbirch inset on the stem.

-- Sykes Wilford