Wojtek Pastuch: Smooth Billiard (1050) Tobacco Pipe

While we see a wide range of designs from Polish carver Wojtek Pastuch, some quite whimsical, this straight Billiard falls on the more traditional end of his creations. It displays a lot of Danish influence, with a roundly inflated rim, a slightly lifted heel, and gentle curvature of bowl sides. The bowl is also quite tall, boasting a chamber depth approaching two inches, giving the pipe a proud stature and promising a leisurely smoke.

This piece is wearing a dark auburn stain over smooth finish to bring out sweeping cross grain, with handsome striations on the fore and aft aspects and dense fields of birdseye on both flanks. An unadorned, hand-cut vulcanite stem tapers out back, balancing the physical weight of the piece while keeping the visual weight on the handsome stummel. A sleek piece from a talented artisan, this pipe deserves careful consideration from anyone in the market for a fine straight pipe for their rotation.