Mike Sebastian Bay: Smooth Bent Dublin Sitter with Mammoth Tobacco Pipe

While we have seen several excellent curved Poker renditions from Mike Sebastian Bay, this is the first time we have had the pleasure of receiving a bent Dublin version of that form. Given that Bay apprenticed under Tom Eltang, it should come as no surprise that this piece shows strong influences from Tom's style, such as a broad, inflated rim, soft, gestural shaping of the forward-surging bowl, or the lithe, slightly flared shank. However, Bay's personal approach to the craft is also thoroughly evident, perhaps most immediately in the way he shaped the briar to follow the arching flame grain and the stunning contrast stain he applied to showcase it. The flames sweep up the shank as well and terminate in whorls of dense birdseye on the bowl's rim. A mammoth accent at the shank end, bolstered by a thin black band, is another of Mike's often-used touches and works well here to provide contrast between the brilliance of the stummel and the sleek, tapered stem of jet-black vulcanite. The shank and stem work in concert to create an S-curve in profile and join the bowl at a slight elevation that calls to mind a Cherrywood. A less commonly seen design from Bay, this piece is sure to interest fans of his work.