Becker: Sandblasted Natural Acorn (Four Clubs) Tobacco Pipe

Federico Becker is a third-generation pipe maker whose late father and grandfather began the Becker workshop in the 1970s. The younger Becker has certainly come into his own in the carving world, marrying his elders' design styles with his own learned skills and creative vision. This Acorn, in keeping with Federico's usual shaping style, is an incredibly lean take on the shape-chart standard, offering a shank-and-stem arrangement that's svelte but nevertheless manages to balance a comparatively muscular bowl at its fore. Said bowl flares from its firm heel to its broad, rounded rim, and as it does, it takes on a subtle forward cant that keeps the entire shape looking dynamic and active in profile. A lightweight and streamlined composition, this piece is dressed in a crisp, natural sandblast that highlights healthy growth rings across the bowl's flanks. With time and use, this piece will patinate, and slowly take on a complexion that will harmonize nicely with the cumberland stem.