Ryan Alden: Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Amboyna Burl (King of Clubs) Tobacco Pipe

A flourishing, organically inclined bent Dublin from Ryan Alden, this piece is bolstered by both Danish and Italian influences. The tall bowl features an oval-shaped, flaring rim that displays a point at the fore, forming a softened, vertical ridgeline that becomes a slender panel along the underside. Bold and precisely shaped, the bowl is set to a gestural, gradually curling shank that's far more slender and bracketed by a crisp line on the right flank and more subtle one on the left. The Texas carver is known for his love of nature and has fashioned an alluring, generous accent of amboyna burl, the tree from whence it came indigenous to Malaysia, the Philippines, and other tropical climes. The smoothly rendered band shows of its own grain, the colors contrasted by Ryan's dark, low-profile sandblast and the ebony-hued, vulcanite mouthpiece.