Michael Lindner Smooth Pickaxe (01) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Detroit native Michael Lindner takes inspiration for his pipes from nature, styling them after the small, beautiful things in life that he grew up chasing after and admiring. As a native of the Motor City, he also displays a love for cars and all things automobile-related, and this, too, shows in his work, revealed in the clean lines and his intentional, refined design language. Said refinement is amplified by Lindner's background in fine arts and design, and his more than two decades in pipe making have only furthered this. Equally at home in crafting classic shapes influenced by the Anglo-French school as he is when carving expressive Freehand pieces, Linder's skill is on full-display in this Pickaxe.

Decidedly unlike many other Pickaxe shapes, this pipe looks to be a fusion of its namesake with Bo Nordh's Shield shape, something evidenced by the impressively large, rounded panel present at the fore of the bowl. Said panel is framed by a plunging ridge that descends toward the heel before curving sharply and ascending at the other side, creating a sharp point in silhouette. Said bowl is shockingly large, coming in at more than three inches tall and taking on a steady flare from its heel to the rearward-slanting rim, creating a key point of visual intrigue at the upper fore. This slanting build additionally serves to underscore the fore wall's sweeping curvature as it reaches upward to form its panel, the entirety of the bowl's profile rich with a sense of dynamic momentum. A tight transition gives way to a sharply lifted shank that pinches near the middle and flares out toward the stem base, meeting a lengthy cumberland saddle that's demurely curved for a comfortable smoking posture. The base of this saddle stem is accented by a light wood fitment that offers a rich contrast against the warm tones of the stem, as well as the stummel's vibrant contrast stain, with the stain revealing a stunning field of birdseye across the fore wall of the bowl.