Kurt Balleby: Smooth Bent Bulldog with Antler Tobacco Pipe

This is Kurt Balleby's signature take on the classic bent Bulldog. The most defining shaping cues that separate Kurt's rendition from others are the low-set beadlines and use of paneling at the shank. The form's characteristic beadlines wrap the lower bowl just above the transition, giving way to a tall, soft taper toward the rim above. Such a design element adds a genteel sense to the typically rigid, masculine shape, contrasting against Balleby's crisp facet work about the shank and heel.

Per tradition, the shank here is still diamond of cross section, but the Danish artisan has fashioned trim panels along the flanks. Said planes travel into the transition, while the bottom panels of the shank extend through the heel to terminate at the beadlines of the bowl's lower fore. These two features lend the bowl a cupped-like posture, visually separating it from the shank to further accentuate its height and taper — thus bringing the flame grain center stage. That vertical grain is echoed along the shank's flanking panel, leaving birdseye to populate the entire underside. Accented with a domed accent of antler at the shank-end that flares in continuation of the stummel's lines, this is a superlative renditions of one of Kurt's most iconic shapes — perfect for the avid Balleby collector or as an introductory acquisition.