Werner Mummert: Paritally Sandblasted Bulldog with Fordite Tobacco Pipe

The Bulldog is a signature shape of Werner Mummert's, and it's come to epitomize the German artisan's eclectic style, with its paneled facets, extra-crisp lines, and exaggerated, bespoke finishing work. Mummert is known for his experimental, almost avant-garde, approach to pipe making, but he always makes sure to put functionalism above all else and ensures his designs are precisely engineered. This particular piece showcases Mummert's love for taking traditional shapes and rendering them through his personal creative prism, resulting in some truly original designs.

Like his other renditions of the shape, this Bulldog possesses a razor-sharp silhouette that can't help but capture the eye. The architectural diamond shank extends through the low-set transition and lends definition to the bowl's heel, which is also framed by two crisp facets, forming a distinctive V-shape at the fore of the composition. The bowl, round and stout, possesses the form's characteristic beadlines, but here they are orientated on top of the rim, just outside of a subtle inflation near the start of the chamber. An extra-craggy sandblast dresses the stummel and draws out hypnotic waves of rippling growth rings across the flanks of the bowl, while the rim is left smooth for a touch of tactile contrast. An accent of Fordite adorns the base of the saddle stem and provides a touch of modernist color to the composition for further visual appeal.