Smooth Bent Egg (2025) Tobacco Pipe

For the last several years, the day before the Muletown pipe show in Columbia, TN, Adam Davidson has visited the workshop of his friend Todd Johnson. In recent memory, during these visits, he's even taken blocks of briar to demonstrate shaping for the other pipe makers and friends that gather on pilgrimage to Johnson's domain. This particular asymmetrical Egg was the only such shape carved during this event in 2025, and it's an excellent example of Davidson's skill in rendering pipes with a pronounced, yet balanced, asymmetry. From a mostly formless block of cut briar, Davidson sat in front of a 36-grit sanding disc spinning at "incredible speed" and meticulously shaped to the grain, uncovering the eye-catching silhouette seen here. Shape-wise, when seen from the smoker's perspective, the entire shape takes on a distinct slant toward the left, with the heft of this slant focused on the transition. What results is an active shape with a distinct momentum that pulls the eye toward the center, and allows it to naturally sweep through the shank, guiding the observer across all its contours. The transition itself is wide, and it gives way to a compressed, lenticular shank flanked by a pair of ridges that flow down its length and mark a blooming flare at the face. The lenticular shaping is maintained at this face, whose slightly inflated surface has been inlaid with a trim brass ring: serving as a stable pressure-mount for a sleek, expansion ringed saddle stem of black vulcanite. Up front, the bowl stands on a sweeping heel, growing walls that offer ample plumpness in hand, with a slight curve toward the right that's both natural in hand and matches the angle of the shank face. Davidson's love for asymmetrical shapes is apparent throughout his portfolio, and this piece in particular is a great example of his talent in crafting pipes that are "proportionally symmetrical along various axes, while shaping the illusion of balanced irregularity." Organic and flowing from nearly every perceivable angle, this piece has been dressed in a warm, rich, chestnut-toned stain that reveals short streaks of flame across the sides of the shank and wrapping cross grain surrounding the aft side of the bowl. The entire fore, underside, and top of the shank, in contrast, are drenched in swirling vortices of birdseye, keeping the eye engaged endlessly and further elevating this piece to ensure it's a standout in any collection.