Askwith: Rusticated Bent Pot Tobacco Pipe

A silversmith by trade, Chris Askwith's journey into pipe making began, as many do, with his own smoking, taking up the pipe in 2006 and using his myriad of tools to restore estate pipes for his own use. In 2007, Askwith joined a pipe club where, by chance, he was afforded the opportunity to make his own smoking instruments using another member's tools. The money he earned from selling these pieces was used to outfit his own workshop with tools better suited to pipe making, and now Chris fashions handmade pipes full-time. Askwith's unique style can be seen plainly in this bent Pot, one reminiscent of Dunhill's "15" shape in one of their larger group sizes and presenting with a consistently tapering shank and stem that lend the aft portion of this piece a handsome sleekness. Said stem is a vibrant stretch of demurely curved polyester that is rife with swirling grey and white tones, its posture quite well-suited for comfortable smoking. In addition, the tapered arrangement of this stem contributes to a consistent undercurve throughout the composition, magnifying the flow of its lines quite nicely and leading the eye to the bowl. The bowl here is firm and cants forward playfully, sitting upon a sweeping heel that gives the fore some nice curvature and supports the gently flaring, Dublin-like upward growth of thick, insulating walls that rise to a softly inflated rim. Dressing the briar here is a craggy, tan-stained rustication that offers plenty of texture in hand and complements the stem quite well, affording this piece a unified and modern aesthetic.