J. Alan: Smooth Fugu (2220) Tobacco Pipe

J. Alan pipes are handmade in San Diego, California by Jeff Gracik, the artisan imbuing his work with a distinctly Danish aesthetic while hewing close to the style of the American masters, expertly balancing plump curves with robust musculature. Gracik's takes on the Fugu shape are among his most iconic pipes, and this piece is no exception, presenting a complex array of wrapping ridgelines that frame the briar with a baroque series of panels. These panels are contrasted stylistically by the simultaneous rounding that possesses aspects of this piece, especially at the bowl, and these panels and ridges keep the eye locked on the stummel in appreciation of all its exacting carving.

From a wide transition, the shank reaches out with a defined flare, its expansion coupled with a curling lift that affords the silhouette of this piece a delightfully curvaceous look. The shank is lined with several of this pipe's ridgelines, with a peaked point at the left side of the shank face acting as the conjunction of four such ridges: one that reaches through the top of the shank, and three that split off into various directions across the rest of the shank face. These three ridges flow around the face and curl through the underside of the shank, before continuing and surrounding the bowl on either side, defining the iconic panels that make the Fugu shape a contemporary classic. On the right side in particular, two such ridges frame a small, rounded panel on the shank, with one curving swiftly at the transition and urging out to form a fin-like structure near the lower back part of this panel, and it meets a continuation of the other ridge here that emphasizes the presence of this structure. Something similar occurs on the left flank of the pipe, though its singular ridge extends to form the fin on its own, before splitting to surround the bowl independently and completing the shape's unique look.

The bowl itself is rather plump, despite the firmness of the panels surrounding it, its center points bulging out slightly and filling the contours of the hand well. This roundness enhances the organic look of the composition, especially as the ridges wrapping the bowl form a tapering panel through the top side and curve slightly to the left, altering the momentum of this piece and setting it on a unique trajectory that further amplifies its organicism. Dressing this pipe is a vibrant, ruby-tinged contrast stain that reveals vast oceans of birdseye across both flanks of the stummel, while the middle of the briar is lined with dense streaks of cross grain throughout. Additionally, a trim ring of brass is inlaid to the shank face, marking the junction to a sleek, stylized saddle stem of black vulcanite and affording this pipe an easy method of disassembly: all while offering subtle contrast against the stummel's stunning stain.