American Estates: Abe Herbaugh Partially Sandblasted Sphinx with Horn (2017) Tobacco Pipe

Abe Herbaugh is a highly regarded American artisan known for his skillful craftsmanship and unique aesthetic, which draws heavily from the Danish school of design. As one of the United States' most accomplished pipe carvers, Herbaugh's pipes show off his creative style, often seamlessly incorporating sophisticated accents, creating pipes that are both visually striking and expertly crafted, work that can be seen here in this Sphinx. Like the Elephant's Foot, the Sphinx is an old Bo Nordh shape that has since become a staple in artisan pipe making, with many carvers putting their own creative spin on the design. As a shape, the Sphinx is defined by a dynamic bowl that's bifurcated on its horizontal axis by a crisp ridgeline. Abe rendered this shape expertly, imbuing it with distinct features, like a sturdy heel and the bowl's expressive forward cant. The shank is low-set to the bowl, accentuating the bowl's height and giving way to a long stretch of Horn that is domed as its farthest most section. A saddle stem of black vulcanite completes the design, its shoulders are expertly rounded to match the shank face's curved figure. The stummel is dressed in a dual finish, with the foremost portion of the bowl finish smooth in a warm stain, with the aft wears a rugged sandblast and auburn stain, both respectively highlighting lovely grain in their own right.