J. Alan: Sandblasted Tomato (1895) Tobacco Pipe

Crafted by Jeff Gracik in San Diego, California, J. Alan pipes are among the most highly regarded artisan pipes in the United States and the world at large. His shaping style highlights the supple curves of the Danish school while staying true to the evocative and sometimes sculptural designs of the American revival. This Tomato leans more toward the Danish side of things, highlighting an easy fluidity and that aforementioned supple curvature while keeping things low-slung and rather gestural.

The Tomato is a shape that thrives through its bowl shape, and this piece is a wonderful example of that, with a bowl possessed of a rotund, low-set waist and an arcing taper to the rim, both of which contribute to a comfortable feel in hand. At just a touch over five and a half inches long, this is also a fairly compact piece, making the breadth of this bowl all the more alluring and emphasizing its squat, full-figured form. Its walls stand atop a lifted heel and it's paired here to an ovoid stretch of gently lifted shank via a wide transition, the heel continuing the flow of the shank in profile and making for a silhouette that's quite classic and charming. The transition itself, though not cheeked, offers a good deal of separation between the bowl and shank and highlights the presence of the aforementioned waistline, further drawing attention to the fore. A trim saddle stem is paired to the shank and takes on a slight downturn at the bit, lending an elegant posture to its outline and aiding in comfortable smoking. Dressed in an understated black sandblast, this piece showcases rippling growth rings through the bowl and birdseye on both the top and underside, the subdued texture of the stummel affording the fingers plenty of detail to explore while it's smoked.