American Estates: Cardinal House Hollingsworth Smooth Blowfish with Camphor Wood (E22) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Cardinal House pipes are made by Walt Cannoy, a respected artisan whose experience in the craft goes back to the 1990s. Each of Cannoy's pipes are completely hand made and hand finished, and the Cardinal House line was specifically created to offer all of these features in a series that included artful shaping at a reasonable price. This Blowfish is a unique piece from Cannoy, being one we've never seen from him before, and which here takes some creative liberties with the modern classic profile, setting it apart from others like it. The most striking change to the form here is its unique approach to the bowl's paneled flanks, as the separation between left and right has been magnified: the left side growing out from the curving shank and tapering into its respective panel, while the middle pinches, and the right panel flares out from a bit of negative space that puts its presence on full display. This not only separates the right side from the left further, but it unifies the shank with the left side as a whole, placing a massive amount of visual emphasis on this pipe's right panel. Said shank has been paneled at the top and underside, with the flanks having been rounded, offering another bit of unique shaping as the underside's panel is wider than the top's. A trim, demurely curved saddle stem completes the composition, along with a junction band that lends it some intriguing provenance. The band itself is a section of Camphor wood that Cannoy took from behind the original workshop he had used to produce Cardinal House pipes, just before he moved to a new carving space.