Martelo: Sandblasted Bulldog Tobacco Pipe

Gustavo Cunha's interest in woodworking began as a teen when he began making bows and arrows by hand. After studying furniture design at university, the Brazilian artisan began crafting pipes and gifting them to friends, seeking only feedback in return. A meeting with Danish artisan Tom Eltang further spurred an interest in a career as an artisan pipe maker. Today, the Martelo carver plies his trade full-time, his portfolio ranging from classic shapes to more eclectic designs.

A compact, yet proportionally muscular design, this Bulldog is a fetching take on the classic design. The rather tall bowl is upright and wrapped with beadlines, though they are perhaps more easily felt than seen in this sandblasted rendition. It's set to a gradually tapering diamond shank and stem for a delightfully seamless, uniform sleekness. Martelo's sandblasts often vary in texture and depth, with this Bulldog displaying one of the carver's more craggy, dark versions, highlighting the briar's growth rings and contrasting the smooth, dark ruby-colored inner rim. The ebony hues of the stummel are complemented by the hand-cut, brindled mouthpiece of black and light yellow hues for a handsome composition, indeed.