Misc. Estates: Sabina Santos Sandblasted Billiard with Mammoth Tobacco Pipe

Portuguese artisan Sabina Santos is one of the few pipe makers in her country, and her work displays an impressively refined, thoroughly Danish sense of line that bolsters the impact of her ceaselessly impressive shaping style and finishing techniques. Her personal style fuses Danish design with a uniquely organic dynamism for shapes that are both singular and beautiful. This Billiard by Sabina Santos presents a streamlined elegance due to its flawless proportions. At the fore, the tall bowl displays an upright posture and a significant taper to the rim, with the plump, low-set waistline hinting at the Brandy shape. The cheeked transition leads to a slim shank that is barely shorter than the height of the bowl, and it's been paired to a sleek stem of tapering black vulcanite with a broad band of mammoth highlighting its base. One of Santos' favorite accenting materials, the organic mammoth band presents stunning hues of creamy browns, light grays, and inky blacks. By subtly shortening the shank and elongating the tapered stem, Santos is able to emphasize the gorgeous mammoth accent while preserving the aesthetic feel of the shape's traditional proportions. Dressing this piece is a striking sandblast that highlights undulating growth rings and whorls of birdseye in arresting detail, aspects that this pipe's contrast stain highlights phenomenally. Santos melds dark walnut, warm chestnut, and light auburn hues together in a fashion that brings out the three-dimensional definition of the rugged texture. The rustic appeal of the stummel and sleek look of the stem meet at the mammoth accent, whose slick, organic pattern provides an alluring blend of both elements, tying together the composition.