Mike Sebastian Bay: Smooth Curved Poker Tobacco Pipe

When artisan carvers reinterpret classic shapes, such renditions can vary dramatically in their degree of departure from the traditional archetype. Sometimes a carver changes multiple aspects, effectively creating a new design completely unique to itself; other times, a pipe's aspect might be subtly changed, maintaining the base form but with stylish nuance. This Curved Poker rendition is one we've seen from Mike Sebastian Bay before, and it's striking how much the original Poker form is changed by just one simple alteration: It remains a minimalist interpretation, yet one that's decidedly unique and set apart from the classic design. Typically, when a Poker cants forward, as this Bay piece does, it's because the flattened heel is angled. The Danish artisan plays with that design cue in this piece, and instead, the heel and lower bowl are perfectly perpendicular to the surface on which this pipe stands; however, the bowl suddenly angles forward at the transition, creating a curved posture in profile. It's a simple alteration, but one that's immediately eye-catching, with this example dressed in a smooth finish to highlight gorgeous birdseye.