Werner Mummert: Sandblasted Apple Tobacco Pipe

Perspective is everything. With this distinctive Apple from Werner Mummert, two different personalities emerge depending on one's vantage point. From the side, the shank rises to the height of the bowl and provides an impression of stolid, firm proportions. However, when viewed from above or below, a slender "V" form is evident, angling from the tight transition and expanding in the horizontal plane to the mouthpiece, which is equally distinctive in its modified, saddle stem form in multi-colored vulcanite at its base.

The finish is sandblasted, and it's a remarkably tactile and deep texture accentuating the consistent growth rings that traverse the bowl and shank. The rim is almost subliminally angled to the fore for a slight cant, though that forward momentum is reduced in relation to the formidable shaping that supports it. For great smoking instruments with enormous personality, Mummert is among the most skilled of sources, and this particular pipe presents a form that will turn heads and provide endless hours of fascination.