Werner Mummert: Sandblasted Bent Brandy Tobacco Pipe

Germany's Werner Mummert is one of the chief innovators in the art of pipe carving. With decades of experience, he continuously tweaks and experiments with his designs to create the best work possible, and this bent Brandy is no exception. Rendered in Mummert's muscular, angled style, the hefty bowl displays a classic Brandy contour towards the rim from its broad heel. Of particular interest in this piece is Mummert's treatment of the transition. The shaping is incredibly tight, with the bowl appearing to rest on top of the shank, with its heavy cheeking and sharply tapered shank that continues past the transition to wrap underneath the base of the bowl, exemplifying the German artisan's uncanny facility with detailed carving. The rear of the shank broadens toward the transition, remaining quite abbreviated to place visual emphasis on the bowl. A hand-cut, distinctive saddle stem completes the ensemble, rendered in a broad fishtail shape in striated cumberland. Dressed in one of Mummert's famous sandblasts, the ruby-hued stummel boasts impeccably defined ring grain that wraps around the bowl, handsomely contrasted by smooth sections at the rim and transition.