Kurt Balleby: Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Mammoth Tobacco Pipe

Kurt Balleby is a carver devoted to classic shapes, ranging from traditional bent Brandies to those of more Freehand style, like the Ramses and Elephant's Foot. However, in all of his pieces, Kurt incorporates his own creative shaping style, whether in the low-set beadlines and paneled shanks of his signature Bulldog renditions, to the incorporation of other shapes' design cues, as seen in this bent Dublin. This is a unique, hybrid shape from Balleby that remains relatively traditional at its root but combines elements from several other shapes for an individual composition altogether.

At its core, this bent Dublin resembles the Horn shape, with its gentle transition and flaring, forward-urging bowl. The domed rim is a touch longer at its fore, accentuating said dynamism even further, and the innermost portion of the rim is neatly chamfered and smooth-finished for accenting contrast. Most striking, however, is Balleby's incorporation of a Cutty-like foot just below the transition: Aesthetically, it breaks up the smooth lines of the shank and bowl for a dose of complementing rigidity, while practically speaking, it allows the pipe to sit upright on a flat surface, perfectly balanced thanks to the bowl's forward cant and the stem's lithe sinuosity. At the shank end, Kurt has fitted a creamy white mammoth accent — softly domed in traditional Danish fashion to lead into the stem base's expansion ring. Though a unique design overall from Balleby, it merges several traditional shaping cues, making for a piece that fits into the Danish artisan's signature style while still remaining individually appealing in its own right.