Werner Mummert: Sandblasted Bulldog with Polymerized Corn Leaves Tobacco Pipe

Werner Mummert's impressive range of design and distinctive shaping style contribute to a portfolio that is filled with both signature shapes and singular imaginings of classics, with this Bulldog representing both. We've seen a fair few renditions of this particular profile from Mummert, and he's become extremely adept at rendering its monolithic form in several variations. This is something of an oxymoron given this pipe's relative compactness, but I find it a lovely way to describe a shape as imposing and Brutalist-inspired as this. It achieves its stolid, unflinchingly firm outline through the use of incredibly crisp, sharp ridgelines that run through the shank, stem base, and flanks of the bowl. The pair of ridges at the flanks lift up as they reach the bowl, dipping down at the fore and coming close to each other, traveling parallel to the stem base where they split at the bit, creating a flat panel at the bottom that enables easy sitting.

Despite all of its rigidity, the bowl of this pipe is curved quite nicely, its gentle flare to the rim filling out the contours of the fingers easily while the wide transition allows for the easy draping of a thumb. The aforementioned rim is slightly domed, tapering swiftly to the chamber, and bears twin beadlines on its surface in a playful twist on the usual placement of the iconic feature. Dressing this pipe is a sandblast that I can only describe as stunning, revealing dense undulations of ring grain across the bowl that stand out from the briar in impressive relief. This not only provides some wonderful texture in hand, but further cements the firmness of the lines present here, adding an additional element of rigidity which reinforces its monolithic presence. The black vulcanite stem stands out in striking contrast against the tanblasted stummel, and it's been accented with a broad band of polymerized corn leaves for a look that's both lovely and unique.

-John McElheny