David Huber: Smooth Hunting Rhodesian (1021) (500) Tobacco Pipe

Anniversaries and milestones are special moments in a pipe maker's career, representing not only their passion and commitment to the craft but also the skill and style they've developed over the years. Quantity milestones are particularly prized for their indication of a carver's progression and talent, and this Hunting Rhodesian marks David Huber's 500th pipe as an artisan. While the Durham-based carver has certainly made significantly more than 500 pipes overall — if counting those fashioned for practice and development during the early stages of his career — this piece is the 500th to bear his artisan stamping and to be offered to collectors. As such, it features Huber's usual stamping convention, with "1021" indicating this as the 10th pipe fashioned in 2021, but David also stamped it "500" to distinguish this piece and reflect the milestone it symbolizes.

The shape itself is a worthy milestone piece, doing well to embody the stylistic cues David is known for: a particularly compact, yet muscular profile and the American artisan's personal "Hunting" aesthetic. For his Hunting pipes, David draws inspiration from nature, specifically the fluid gesture a fish makes when snapping at its prey. As such, Huber's Hunting pipes are all characterized by certain, curving momentum that often changes depending on the vantage point from which the pipe is viewed.

In the case of this Hunting Rhodesian, the entire composition urges rightward when observed from the smoker's perspective, both along the pipe's horizontal axis and along its vertical axis. When viewed from above, the shank curls to the right from out of the transition, like a fish's tail, the flanking ridgelines of the shank extending seamlessly to define the bowl's base. Furthermore, when viewed head on, the oval shank tilts dramatically up and toward the right, matched by the shaping of the heel, which rises higher along the right side. Such dynamic lines belie the stummel's hearty presence, juxtaposing seemingly stolid muscularity against crisp and gestural line work. Dressed in a rich contrast stain, the stummel showcases concisely orientated grain, with Huber's positioning of the ridgelines perfectly framing vertical grain around the bowl, while birdseye saturates the rim and underside. It's a distinct design evocative of David's personal shaping style and perfect for his 500th artisan pipe.