Askwith: Sandblasted Morta Devil Anse Tobacco Pipe

Though the historical provenance of the Devil Anse is debatable, as there are no factual reports of the eponymous Hatfield clan patriarch ever smoking a pipe, Kevin Costner's portrayal of the (in)famous West Virginian in the History Channel drama Hatfields & McCoys popularized the shape. Something of an abbreviated Belge, the Devil Anse provides a comfortable smoking posture, which this example by Askwith exemplifies, through its abridged length, allowing it to be comfortably hung from the jaw.

English artisan Chris Askwith is exceptionally adept at rendering this diminutive shape, and is especially talented in crafting it from morta, something that his portfolio strongly suggests. The semi-petrified bog oak takes to the supple curves and forward cant of the bowl wonderfully, its gentle rounding and slightly squashed fore and aft not only a testament to excellent carving, but a fine canvass for the singular patterning and heel originating ring grain of the mineralized wood. The shaping along the transition is excellent, with subtle cheeking that evokes Danish design cues, and the brief shank flows into an equally concise, polyester stem of bright orange.