J. Alan: Smooth Fugu with Orbital Inlay (1731) Tobacco Pipe

Long, lean, and vertically compressed, this variant of the Blowfish shape has been dubbed the Fugu. Crisp ridgelines define beautiful asymmetrical shaping of the shank, which expands dramatically from the transition to the curved shank end. On the right side of that shank are three distinct circles of mammoth elegantly accenting the briar. The mouthpiece is short and flat in saddle configuration with a whisper of downward bend to balance the upward momentum of the bowl.

The bowl is dramatically asymmetrical as well, with the right side displaying very sharp ridgelines and an outward-inclined curve at the near side above the transition. The left and right flanks are domed, as is customary with Blowfish shapes, and reveal stunning birdseye grain while horizontal tendrils splay across the surfaces of the Y axis. The rim is also asymmetrical, its bevel around the tobacco chamber harmonizing with the proportions of the bowl and providing ease of filling for this distinctive and creative composition.