Peter Heding: Smooth Long Shank Blowfish (Diamond) Tobacco Pipe

Long-shanked and languid of curve, this Blowfish from Peter Heding offers a remarkable Egg-like bowl canted forward from a well-defined transition. The sweep of that bowl along the transition defines a curved forward panel echoed by another curved panel at the far side of the bowl, while the domed flanks along the left and right sides positively bulge with birdseye. Another panel sweeps the underside of the shank, offering crisp ridgelines to meet the transition.

The long shank offers a more emphatic upward sweep than it truly possesses, thanks to the upward-flicking attitude of the stem base, witch is vertically offset to introduce a half-saddle stem. The upward contour is paralleled by another impression of curve offered by the underside of the stem base, which itself sweeps downward. The subdued downward bend of the stem counterbalances the forward-implied cues of the bowl for balance of both of those visual elements for a unified composition.

A polished mahogany stain reminiscent of well-cared-for library furniture commends this creative interpretation of the Blowfish. Heding has here presented us with a remarkable composition highlighting his ability to think beyond traditional norms, a facility he was doubtless born with and that was surely enhanced by his experience learning pipe making in the workshop of Tom Eltang. It's a superlative piece from the Danish carver, testified to by the Zirconia diamond accenting the shank — signifying Heding's highest grade.