Werner Mummert: Sandblasted Bulldog Tobacco Pipe

Combining minimalist lines with modernist, geometric styling, Werner Mummert here offers a remarkable Bulldog, its double beadlines circling along the outside perimeter of the rim, which is domed, but flatly so; that is, it rises like a dome but the surface of that dome is flat. Every line is crisp; beyond crisp, really, especially at the top of the shank, which offers a ridgeline that could shave the mustache clean off your face. A lower ridgeline at the underside of the shank is likewise sharp, but at a more shallow angle, so it wouldn't be good for shaving, though I'm sure it would have many uses in a survival scenario.

The mouthpiece offers a dramatic taper, in more of a half-saddle configuration than otherwise, with a deep curve along the top and a more modest treatment underneath. The shank and mouthpiece are taller than they are wide, with a cross section like that of an inverted kite, its longest, sharpest section along the top. The ridgeline under the shank extends beyond the heel for a forward-inclined disposition, informed by the sharp angle of the forward heel.

From above and below, we see the little curvature that Mummert permits in this design, with a round bowl broadly perched atop the geometrical shank and heel, necessitating the low, curved ridgeline that extends along the sides of the shank. It's all unified by a woodsy, dark mahogany contrast stain revealing vertical flame grain enough to capture one's attention should the geometry of the piece ever become a secondary attribute. If a pipemaker can be said to achieve success when his or her style is easily recognizable, then Werner Mummert arrived long ago.