Yang Kun: Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Boxwood (Four Footprints) (2246) Tobacco Pipe

After being introduced to the world of artisan pipes and their carving in 2010, Chinese artisan Yang Kun was immediately obsessed, going on to carve pipes of his own and quit his job as a makeup artist in the entertainment industry to pursue pipe making full-time. Training at the hands of fellow artisan Hongjian Qiu, who taught him the fundamentals of drilling, draft hole funneling, and contrast staining, Kun's observance of the work of his peers and deep love for the Danish aesthetic brought him inspiration. This bent Dublin combines that inspiration with Yang's personal style to offer a handsomely harmonious composition. The stummel is possessed of a good deal of curvature, with my eye being drawn to the wide, curved transition that marks the origin of the gently flaring shank. Said shank expands out to a boxwood accent that showcases a teardrop shape, with a ridge running from its point on the left flank through to the middle of the bowl, where it dissipates smoothly into the briar. A demurely arced stem with an expansion ring at the base is paired to the shank here, offering a graceful bit of poise and some visual intrigue that balances out the presence of the bowl a bit. Said bowl sits atop a sweeping, lifted heel and flares expressively to a high-set ridge that marks the dome of the rim, its soft contours offering a pleasing feel in hand. Dressed in an extremely crisp tanblast, this pipe showcases some stunning grain, with dense stacks of textural ring grain rippling down the bowl, while the smooth surface of the rim reveals whorls of birdseye.