Misc. Estates: Michael Parks Smooth Bent Dublin with Spiral Shank (V.7) Tobacco Pipe

Michael Parks doesn't craft a large number of pipes, so this bent Dublin from the Canadian carver is certainly a welcome sight. A talented artisan whose pieces range from elegant classics to creative briar sculptures, he has imbued this particular piece with elements of both those conventions.

The hearty, forward-urging bowl flares poetically and with precision from a small, oval-shaped and flattened heel to the softly inflated rim of similar shape. A fine Sitter, the bowl is so poised in its cant that the fore's rim tilts at about a 45-degree angle from a flat desktop. The arcing shank consists of several spirals, their proximity to one another spaced apart meticulously, with the size of the coils diminishing as they approach the tapered stem. It all comes together seamlessly and is so elegantly done it seems effortless when the opposite is true. The stummel is dressed in a warm, rich auburn stain with some of the best flame grain I've ever seen engulfing the bowl's flanks, while beautiful birdseye covers the rim.