Werner Mummert: Sandblasted Bulldog Tobacco Pipe

There is hardly a body of work as distinctive and broad as that of Werner Mummert, the German artisan demonstrating talent in crafting pieces that are both traditionally inclined and those that look to be the works of modern artists, with perhaps a touch of Brutalism thrown in for good measure. This Bulldog belongs decidedly to the latter camp, as it demonstrates an incredibly angular sense of line and a firm, structural build that prioritizes bold, muscular shaping over supple curvature throughout its entire build. There's also an element of sculptural shaping here that I can't help but see, as if this would be perfectly at home in a museum among works of celebrated modern artists. The diamond-shaped shank that the shape is known for is presented here with an incredible crispness, with the pair of ridgelines on either flank of the shank running from the button of the stem all the way down, curving up the sides of the bowl slightly, descending to the underside, and then running perpendicular along the underside to the saddle stem's base. The bowl itself features an angular fore, leaning that way in opposition to the aft's more gentle slant, imbuing it with a kind of forward-rushing momentum that doesn't detract from the upright solidity that the profile fosters, but somehow enhances it.

The rim features a pair of beadlines directly on it, more so focused on its outer side than near the chamber, in a surprising twist on the shape's usual placement of these on the waistline to mark the rim's taper. The rim does taper, however, just slightly to the chamber, in a nod to the shape's origins, and overlooks a fairly capacious chamber that is sure to provide some extended smoking sessions. The stummel is dressed in a ruby sandblast of incredible texture, with its depth offering the ring grain around the bowl a cliff-like look, defined fantastically by Mummert's expertise in the blasting cabinet.