Abe Herbaugh: Partially Sandblasted Retro Dublin Tobacco Pipe

Vermont-based carver Abe Herbaugh blends Danish shaping cues with his personal style to craft pipes that are truly unique. This Retro Dublin is a design we've seen from the American carver before, and it's always a welcome sight, as it pay homage to the shapes that Sixten Ivarsson and Pipe-Dan used to produce. The flared, undulating rim and firm, Acorn-like heel lend the bowl an organic sensibility that's right in line with the Danish school of design. The bowl cants dramatically at the fore of an arrow-straight shank-and-stem arrangement, imbuing the overall composition with a sense of driving momentum. The shank and stem are slender and understated within the composition, securing the bowl with most of the visual weight in profile. Foregoing any unnecessary accent materials or vibrant colors, the shaping and finish of this piece take center stage and truly capture the eye. The whole thing is handsomely presented in a crisp, earthy sandblast that brings vivid definition to the natural grain orientation of the briar, save for the rim, which is left smooth and stained a lighter color for visual and tactile contrast.