Misc. Estates: Joao Reis Smooth Freehand with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Joao Reis has a natural talent for woodworking, and made use of it early, starting his first career, that of a cabinet maker, at the age of fifteen - right around the same period when he first began collecting pipes. The two passions eventually came together in 1998, when at the age of twenty he made his first pipe for a friend. In the coming years, Reis began training under a number of acclaimed Danish artisans such as Tom Eltang and Poul Ilsted, growing his talent considerably and establishing himself as a fully-fledged pipe maker. This Freehand is an interesting example of Joao's work, being one of the few Freehand pieces we've seen from the Portuguese artisan, and boasts a look that sets it apart even from those others. Most of this pipe's intrigue is present at the bowl, which is here wrapped with a crisp ridgeline, rising high at the left flank before dipping low at the fore and lifting gently at the right side. This ridge is pierced by another on the left side near the back of the bowl, adding further firmness to the composition and tempering the fluidity of the ridge it meets through its more straightforward structural look. Thanks to the outline of this ridge, the rim has been afforded a wonderfully rounded, inflated look that's reminiscent of the Egg, while the lower bowl appears more akin to the Dublin. A wide transition gives way to a trim, gently lifting stretch of shank that meets a pair of bamboo knuckles at a band of jet-black vulcanite. A matching vulcanite band frames the bamboo at the stem, whose base flares out to match the dense grass' rhythm before its saddle construction dips into a demurely downturned bit. Dressing the stummel is a warm, natural stain that defines a wealth of wrapping grain below the bowl's wavering ridge, while the upper portion is peppered with birdseye: the stain of the briar complimented by the pale hues of the bamboo and contrasted by the striking black of vulcanite.