Misc. Estates: Michael Parks Smooth Cobra with Mammoth (V) Tobacco Pipe

Michael Parks, an admired Canadian artisan, imbues his shapes with a classic grace often associated with traditional French and English designs, but, like most talented pipe makers, he adds a unique flourish all his own, rendering pieces that emphasize precision, playful variation, and ornate accent materials. Parks doesn't make a large number of pipes per year, making this Cobra especially rare.

This piece boasts a tall bowl that's framed by a pair of crisp ridgelines, which lend a structural definition to the otherwise supple form and sweep downward to frame the trim oval shank. Compressed along its fore and aft, the bowl presents an eye-shaped rim and possesses a subtle forward cant that keeps the shape looking active and dynamic in profile. Out back, a slender oval shank flows from the low-set transition and marries a demurely curved tapered stem, with the junction between shank and stem marked by a band of bright white mammoth. A smoky smooth finish completes the ensemble and highlights gorgeous grain throughout the stummel.