Todd Johnson Partially Sandblasted Matador (Hoplite) (2006) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

American artisan Todd Johnson's portfolio features both shape-chart classics and unique, imaginative pieces. Throughout his career, he's crafted pipes that excel both as smoking instruments and intricate works of art. Formally instructed in aesthetics with a master's degree from Yale, Todd has also studied all the greats of pipe making, including traveling to Denmark to learn firsthand from renowned Danish artisans like Tom Eltang and Anne Julie.

Though Johnson has crafted several Matadors in the past, each iteration has varied in terms of build, with their only unifying element being their organic flourishes and fluid line work. This particular rendition takes on much more of an angular form, possessing a strong, pointed heel that becomes the focal point of the composition. From the heel, the flaring bowl takes on a forward-canted stance as it reaches a plateau-crowned rim. This plateau is mirrored along the high-kicking shank face, whose height is the same as the rim. The stummel is dressed in a deep sandblast that highlights stacked growth rings along the briar's surface, while the heel and sections along the plateau were left smooth for a pleasing contrast.