Sabina Santos: Sandblasted Bent Egg with Durat Tobacco Pipe

One of Portugal's few artisan pipe makers, Sabina Santos crafts gorgeous shapes that are uniquely designed, expertly engineered, and handsomely finished, as exemplified by this bent Egg. Shape-wise, this piece boasts a plump, gently tapered bowl that stands at the fore of an upturned shank and a demurely curved saddle stem. The shank curves into the base of the bowl and protrudes to the pipe's fore, and as it does, it seems to cradle the bowl, holding it aloft and outward, as if presenting it. The shank's firm, structural lines lend a pronounced rigidity to the shape's profile, contrasting the bowl's supple contours, though the shank itself provides balance to the bowl, its firm stance and stocky build mirroring the bowl's own. Accenting this piece is a wide band of Durat, which is made of recycled industrial waste and flecks of natural mineral pigments from a 17th Century Dutch paint mill. A crisp, earthy sandblast completes the ensemble and highlights gorgeous grain across the bowl and shank alike.