Misc. Estates: Sabina Santos Smooth Dublin with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Portuguese artisan Sabina Santos started her career as a pipe maker with inspiration from the smoking habits of her husband, acquiring skill as an autodidact before embarking on a seven-week pilgrimage to Denmark where she studied under some of the most prolific artisans in the pipe world. This straight Dublin is from early on in her career and presents a wonderful opportunity for enthusiasts of her work to own a piece of Santos history. The stem here is a trim saddle that's been affixed to a stretch of bamboo spanning three knuckles of the pale grass, extending the shank quite nicely and adding a handsome bit of organicism to the composition. Santos has carved a bit of the vulcanite at the stem base and some of the briar on the right flank to continue a pair of divots in the material, further unifying the composition. The shank proper is quite trim, ebbing out of a wide transition to meet the bamboo at a thin ring of black vulcanite, the bowl standing atop a rounded heel and flaring very gently to the rim. Dressed in a warm auburn stain, this piece showcases some handsome grain up front, with rich contrast offered by the pale bamboo extension.