Pete Prevost: Sandblasted Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

On one hand Pete is one of the artisans taking part in the American sandblasts selection who sent us a design of tapered nature (I was expecting a lot of tapered shapes, since they are by nature well-suited to ring grain); on the other hand he also sent us one of the least conventional designs, in terms of the match of proportions and forms. The shank is broad and paneled, the bowl very lean, the transition barely a slip of a thing in profile, and the stem-base quite large... and yet it all works. The stem base doesn't look chunky, but natural, the subtle curve of shank and great lift of the bowl play to the low profile of the transition, and the high altitude of the rim — and the breadth of the shank keeps the whole thing anchored. That's not just anchored in the sense of visually, when viewed from angles other than directly in profile, but also physically; this Prevost sits, and sits well.

- Eric N. Squires