Alexander Hasty: Sandblasted Billiard with Ox Horn Tobacco Pipe

Alexander Hasty's dedication to creating pipes informed by artful, high-quality craftsmanship is well known, as is his fondness for fashioning designs imbued with Danish and American styling conventions. This straight Billiard is a fine example of the American carver's shaping aesthetics, as it's rendered in compact, yet muscular proportions.

The tall, stout bowl displays the more rounded, gently tapering design associated with Danish shaping, yet the heel is lent a bit more firmness, and when combined with the shank's slightly more structured underside, allows this piece to sit sturdily upright. The shank continues the muscularity established by the bowl, then, and is accented by a fetching ox horn accent, its paler hues contrasted by the ebony-colored saddle stem. The artisan has dressed this Billiard in a crisp, well-executed sandblast, illuminating some lovely growth rings along the left flank, with the smooth rim is stained a complementing smooth mahogany.