David Huber: Partailly Sandblasted Fugu Blowfish (5721) Tobacco Pipe

While David Huber is an American carver based out of North Carolina, his work showcases an obvious fondness for the rich, organic style of Danish and Japanese pipe making. This Blowfish leans heavily into that latter design school while still retaining Huber's distinctive personality and penchant for the muscular and sculptural. While different artisans approach the shape in a variety of ways, the "Fugu" style of Blowfish is typically defined by a paneled shank and paneled flanks bisected by a band of cross grain, and that's exactly what Huber has produced here.

Huber embraces the asymmetrical nature of the shape in this rendition, with the panels on either side of the bowl uneven, and the wrapping briar around the midsection curling at a diagonal angle. The smooth section of briar begins and ends at the lifted shank, which displays firm, structural lines that contrast against the curvaceousness of the rounded bowl. Though quite firm and muscular in terms of proportions, the overall design measures just over five inches in total length, and it appropriately offers a lightweight presence in hand. The twin panels wear a dark, low-profile sandblast that brings vivid definition to the birdseye there, while a smoky smooth finish accentuates the tight bands of cross grain across the fore, top, and aft of the bowl.