American Estates: Michael Lindner Sandblasted Nightshade with Boxwood (Spider) (1) Tobacco Pipe

Michael Lindner's catalogue incorporates a wide range of pipe styles, from handsome classics to signature designs and unique Freehands, all fashioned with quality craftsmanship and clear attention to detail. Considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern American style of pipe making, Lindner presents one of his signature shapes here: The Nightshade, a hybrid of sorts between the Acorn and Dublin in muscular form. The tall, forward-urging bowl offers a measured flare up to a dipped rim, with the robust walls standing atop a firm heel. The transition is wide and showcases a subtle bit of cheeking before it gives way to the shank, the shank itself taking on a gentle flare out toward its face. The shank face is capped by a slightly domed accent of pale boxwood which lends this pipe some contrasting color and balances the visual weight of the bowl alongside the shank's flare. This flaring rhythm continues through the stylish dome of the hand-cut cumberland stem. Though not lengthy, this pipe is certainly robust, with plenty of substance in the hand and ample space in the chamber for a favorite blend. Dressing the stummel here is an impressively crisp sandblast stained a warm, earthy tone, revealing a dense, rippling array of stacked ring grain which cascades down the bowl.