Manduela: Partially Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Aside from the smooth, Danish classic Brandy and this bent Dublin, all of the pipes in this debut batch from Manduela Riger-Kusk are various takes on the Bulldog or bent Bulldog themes. This isn't all that surprising given that her main influence, Poul Ilsted, practically specialized in creating unique interpretations of this classic design — lending the shank and lower bowl crisp panels, with firm leading lines that extend past the transition to form a spur of sorts along the heel. What some might not know, however, is that Poul applied these same concepts to his Dublin shapes as well — a theme that Manduela has obviously explored, and reinvented, here.

The bold heel and long taper of the bowl are both cues you can find in Ilsted's Dublin variations, but aside from that, Manduela's actually kept this piece rather restrained by comparison. Rather than lend the shank a number of facets or panels, she's kept it fairly smooth and rounded, using just the subtlest of line along either side to balance that aforementioned boldness of the heel and guide the eye across the composition. This smoothness actually works to lend the overall profile a more elegant and gestural silhouette, accentuating the almost serpentine flow of the shank and stem's S-curve beautifully.

Interestingly, this is one of the more restrained pieces, palette-wise, as well — forging her usual colorful accents or stem materials for a smart, yet understated combination of jet-black sandblast, jet-black vulcanite, and a broad boxwood accent.

- Andrew Wike