Mike Sebastian Bay: Partially Rusticated Rhodesian Tobacco Pipe

Mike Bay's signature style is easily recognizable, defined by his affinity for compact muscularity, gestural, forward-urging designs, and his distinctive finishing work, all aspects illustrated in this Rhodesian rendition. An uncommon sight among the Danish artisan's portfolio, Bay has typically fashioned Rhodesians with more slender profiles. Here, this interpretation boasts an impressive amount of substance within a length of under five inches, making for a stocky interpretation of the form. Posed at the fore with a dynamic forward cant, the bowl's figure is formed by thick walls rising from the stretched, sweeping heel toward a pair of crisp beadlines around the waist, which then marks a steady taper to the rim. The composition is balanced out back by a hearty, upturned round shank, its face inlaid with a supporting brass ring as it accepts a gingerly bent push-style stem with a crisp expansion ring at its base. Inspired by the legendary Tom Eltang, Bay showcases his signature rustication work here, with a series of rippling grooves carved across the stummel and presented beneath an inky stain, which is framed by a warm, smooth finish atop the bowl, at the shank end, and along the heel for a delightful contrast.