American Estates: J. Alan Smooth Horn with Silver (Wave) (583) (2011) Tobacco Pipe

If you've followed Jeff Gracik's work over the years, you've no doubt come across a variety of Horn shapes from him. The American carver has been tweaking the design, balancing flowing Danish forms with subtle senses of rigidity. For example, in a piece we previously received from him, Jeff accented a rather low-slung profile with crisp ridgelines on either side of the shank, traveling all the way to the rim. In this piece, however, he's subdued things considerably, opting instead for a completely smooth build that's bereft ridges save for at the rim.

Topped with a generously inflated bowl, this piece echoes Jess Chonowitsch's Mushroom shape as an encircling ridgeline separates said rim from the rest of the stummel, calling to mind the Rhodesian. Where this pipe separates itself from those shapes, however, is in this wrapping ridge's sweeping lift out back, outlining a pointed outcropping of briar that lends the back portion of the rim a flattened shape. The fore potion of the rim showcases a domed look which the ridge below it altering the slope of this forward dome, the pointed peak of the rim lending the aerial silhouette of this piece a teardrop-like look. The wide transition leads to a tapering stretch of shank which gently expands as it nears the junction, marrying a demurely curved saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite.

With a generously flared bowl, it's a beautiful testament to Jeff's ability to "read" a block of briar. On the left flank, a band of tiger-striped cross grain perfectly mirrors a band of the very same grain present on the right, the two meeting at the rim as they drape over this shape's contours. Following the grain further, the underside of this piece displays a vast basin of birdseye that stretches the length of the stummel's lower contour. Dressed in a contrast stain that's both warm and vibrant, this pipe's sole accent is a single band of silver at the base of the stem, its elegant trimness highlighting the contrast between it and the rest of the palette. It's stunning work from Gracik and is yet another entry into his portfolio of fantastic pipes. A surefire centerpiece to any collection.