Wojtek Pastuch: Smooth Bent Dublin with Curly Birch (0828) Tobacco Pipe

Mixing in stylistic cues from the Danish and even German aesthetic schools, this bent Dublin from Wojtek Pastuch is just a stunning work of pipe craftsmanship. The bowl adheres closely to the traditional Dublin model, with a strong taper to the fore and aft, but its somewhat shorter, more squashed than your typical variation. Wojtek's also topped it with a broad, softly domed rim as well, both accentuating the form's muscularity as well as showcasing a vast, undulating sea of birdseye. As something of a contrast to the heavy visual weight of the bowl, Pastuch's paired it to a comparatively trim shank and stem configuration, buffered by a slightly flared ferrule of pale curly birch wood — the accent's unique and exciting pattern offering a beautiful contrast against the warmly stained briar. In addition to the birdseye along the rim, Wojtek's also really showcased the briar's natural grain patterns around the entire bowl, resulting in 360 degrees of finely stranded flame. All in all, it may fall canonically into the classic Dublin model, but Wojtek's certainly put his own spin on the archetype here, and to great effect!