English Estates: James Upshall Smooth Bent Billiard (A) (6) (FH) Tobacco Pipe

James Upshall's shapes tend to be full-bodied and stout, and this bent Billiard fits well into that design sensibility. Pairing a tall, muscular bowl to a tapering shank and stem base, this piece strikes an acrobatic, gestural profile. Thoroughly gestural and quite robust in the hand, there's still a good deal of sinuousness here in the gentle S-curve of the shank and stem, with the stem's saddle orientation further slenderizing the aft of the pipe and placing emphasis on the more than two inch tall bowl. The stummel wears a smoky, chestnut-hued smooth finish that showcases some dense whorls of birdseye across the left flank of the bowl, with the other flank displaying a wealth of mixed grain.