Werner Mummert: Sandblasted Stubby Apple Tobacco Pipe

There's never once been a time where I've looked at any of Werner Mummert's pipes and thought to myself "yeah, I've seen that before," unless it relates directly back to a signature shape of his own design. That being said, I really haven't ever seen an Apple like this before, even within his own portfolio, and I don't believe that we've ever had a pipe like this on the site before either. While it is similar in build to his very recognizable, much lengthier Apple renditions, this piece takes that and compresses it, taking the long-tapering shank and abbreviating it sharply, all while lengthening the stem a good bit. Speaking of the shank and stem, it is good to see that Mummert has included my favorite element of his signature Apples in this Nosewarmer: the perspective shift. When you look at the shank and stem in profile, you see plainly the stark verticality that they possess, with the shank in this piece actually wrapping under the bowl. However, when you look from an aerial perspective, you can see the combination flaring horizontally as it travels outward, with it actually becoming wider toward the area where the bit ebbs out from the base, giving you a myriad of subtle details to appreciate at many different angles. The transition is deeply cheeked, working in concert with the shank's wrapping on the underside to give the effect of it locking into the bowl rather than cradling it, as this piece is far more structural in its use of the technique. The bowl is quite round and delightfully plump, as an Apple bowl should be, and features a firm rim that is steeply chamfered before the chamber, with a chunk of craggy plateau present at the right fore, looking as if someone had taken a bite out of this Apple. Said chunk is stained a vivid red, standing out in stark contrast to the black sandblast of the rest of the stummel, with further contrast offered by the swirling red, black, and olive hues of the stylized stem.