Larry Roush: Sandblasted Billiard with Silver (S5) (2455) Tobacco Pipe

Perhaps you've been considering your first Larry Roush pipe. Perhaps you have several in your collection but are always looking to expand. This Billiard, here, fits both bills perfectly. A large piece, it's right at home in Larry's muscular style and features the American carver's signature aesthetic and sublime silver work. Roush's style caters to the Italian school, as this piece shows clearly in the relative proportions between bowl and shank. Broad-based and thick-walled, the bowl houses a capacious chamber, on par with house pipe size. Behind, the shank and stem taper drastically from transition to bit — a common feature in Roush's work that makes for a striking, angular look. The tapering line is seamless and consistent, interrupted only by a wedding band of sterling silver to separate the dark-stained stummel from the brindled, vulcanite stem, swirling with neon green, black, and violet. Also known for his crisp sandblasts, Larry shows off his skill here as the stummel is rife with intriguing ring grain, contrasted by the smooth polished, walnut-stained rim up top.