Wolfgang Becker: Partially Sandblasted Bent Egg with Mammoth (Double Wolf Paw) Tobacco Pipe

Wolfgang Becker's signature Wasp and bent Egg design share many similarities in terms of shaping, namely, a forward-surging posture, raised transition, flared shank, and vaulted fore. However, Becker renders his bent Egg shape with an emphasis on muscularity and tight-knit proportions, both of which are on full display with this particular example. In profile, the stocky, heavy-set bowl immediately draws the eye, its palm-filling girth emphasized by the lifted heel it rests upon. Said heel sweeps toward the aft side of the composition and carries momentum into the curling shank-and-stem arrangement out back. The brawny shank is oval in cross section, tilted on its axis, and its subtle geometric shaping contrasts against the roundness of the bowl, though both shank and bowl mirror one another in terms of their expansiveness, especially when viewed in profile.

Becker has dressed this piece in a dual finish: one flank of the stummel is smoothly polished and displays fine licks of flame grain, while the other flank is sandblasted and showcases subtle ripples of growth rings. The two finishes provide a diverse range of textures for the fingers to explore and enjoy, while also highlighting the various grain structures prominent in the briar. An accent of mammoth adorns the shank end and provides a dose of warmth to the otherwise smoky palette of the pipe. It's all in all a handsome, eye-catching design, one Becker saw fit to bear his Double Wolf Paw grade, the second highest in his portfolio.