Dirk Heinemann: Sandblasted Tuban with Ox Bone Tobacco Pipe

An impressively minimalist design, Dirk Heinemann's Tuban is a compact shape that exemplifies the German carver's creativity. Tom Eltang is known for his signature Tubos, and Heinemann has his Tuban. It was initially conceived after the German artisan was experimenting with the Rhodesian shape, sketching out various shank designs that experimented with its length, breadth, and degree of bend. After taking a well-deserved break, Dirk came back to his drawings with fresh eyes and realized that the Rhodesian's shank could actually be a shape itself.

This Tuban is the result of that process, displaying a cylindrical-shaped bowl that runs along a gradual, continuous curve. Heinemann has tweaked his design over the years, presenting it in varying finish-and-color combinations, but this particular rendition is my favorite one yet. The stummel's finished in a low-profile sandblast, with rippling waves of grain radiating across the sides while the smooth rim has been dressed in a warm walnut stain. It's then tastefully topped off with an accent band of ox bone, its pale hue standing out in stark contrast against the rest of the piece's dark color palette.