American Estates: Michael Lindner Sandblasted Nightshade With Mammoth (2004) 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. The tall, forward-urging bowl offers a measured flare up to a dipped rim, with the thick walls standing atop a lifted 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. A saddle stem tops the shank and features a base accented with bright mammoth. Though not lengthy, this pipe is certainly muscular, 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 an inky black, revealing a rippling array of grain around the bowl.