American Estates: Abe Herbaugh Smooth Freehand (2017) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

One of the United States' most accomplished artisan carvers, Abe Herbaugh's portfolio primarily comprises refined, organic works crafted in the Danish style, all infused with his sophisticated signature style. This Freehand is undoubtedly one of the most striking pipes I've ever seen from Herbaugh, presenting with a remarkably baroque arrangement of lines that make it an unquestionably sculptural piece. At first glance, this pipe appears to be a portmanteau of the Blowfish and Nautilus shapes, and there are ample shaping details to evidence this assumption, though a bit of research reveals the truth. This pipe exists at the intersection of two of Herbaugh's own signature shapes: the Incubus and the Spathe.

These two shapes are both impressively sculptural in their own respects, but this fusion elevates those sculptural elements to new heights, contributing to a form sure to be at home in any serious collector's array of Herbaugh's work. The Incubus is a bit like a Blowfish, though if the shank were truncated and rounded like that shape's bowl, and it features deep, plunging channels at its flanks that act to separate the two halves. The Spathe is reminiscent of both the Nautilus and the Volcano, with a curling outline and a flared bowl, though one that, in certain iterations, stands on a semi-flattened, ridgeline-wrapped base. Here, the shank maintains the Incubus' rounded and rotund outline, keeping the visual weight rather consistent across the bowl and shank as it grows into broad, asymmetrical panels surrounded by organically flowing channels. These channels emphasize the organic aspects of the shape through the aft side, and they additionally define the lines of the transition, with a deep, angular plunge at the left flank and a deeper, more open descent that bulges out toward the bottom on the right. Up front, the bowl takes on a curling flare as it rises from the heel, expanding out dramatically as its walls grow toward a vast, asymmetrical rim, complete with a dipped basin at the chamber to make loading tobacco easy. The complex flow of the lines across the stummel make this pipe impossible not to stare at, with the ridges at the shank wrapping around toward the aft side and merging at the underside in tandem with a swift taper that creates a wonderfully sharp edge. This edge continues across the briar and wraps up toward the top of the bowl, where it splits and surrounds the rim, highlighting the floral bloom of its lifting sides. A black vulcanite saddle stem pairs to this pipe near the top of the shank, interrupting a ridge on the right side and lifting into a sleek bit that's smartly downturned for comfortable smoking. Dressed in a vibrant, auburn-tinged stain, the stummel showcases a stunning array of grain, with both flanks of the stummel drenched in plentiful birdseye.