American Estates: Adam Davidson Smooth Fig with Horn (2012) Tobacco Pipe

Even as a child, Adam Davidson was fascinated by pipes, recalling memories of pipes on antique store shelves and in black-and-white movies. The allure of pipes never faded for Davidson, and shortly after earning a degree in Industrial Design, he began his career as a pipe maker. Today, Davidson is one of the most acclaimed American artisans, producing everything from avant-garde Freehands to archetypal shapes that all showcase his unique, signature style. Davidson places a premium on internal engineering, ensuring even his wildest pieces are sublime smokers. The rarely seen Fig shape is defined by an Acorn-like bowl with walls that flare upward to a round, inflated rim, complete with a spur-like heel. Not only did Davidson masterfully interpret this shape, but he also oriented this piece to display some beautiful grain along its plump shaping. Tendrils of flame grain engulf the lower portion of the bowl, while a vast array of birdseye outlines the rim, with specks of plateau peaking through closer to the chamber. Also on display is a dynamic sense of gesture throughout the composition. A round shank lifts out of the transition, fashioned with a subtly flaring military mount of genuine horn that accepts a trim stem with a crisp expansion ring at its base, the arrangement's posture deftly guiding the eye toward the front of the composition. The expansion disc along the stem's base mirrors the shaping of the shank end, while the mortise is reinforced with a brass inset ring for a mount-style tenon configuration.