Smooth Tomato with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

In silhouette, this Tomato from Yuwei Huang poses a rather traditional profile, the plump, squat bowl poised on the end of a curling, bamboo shank extension, the heel softly lifted to keep the bowl's profile dynamic and forward-urging. Viewed from the smoker's perspective, though, the piece takes on a thoroughly unique design — the shank and stem curve dramatically upward and to the left, the horizontal axis of the button drastically canted when compared to that of the bowl. It calls to mind a winding section of roller coaster track, twisting and curling into the transition and adding a strong, obvious dose of asymmetry to the form. The bowl is dressed in a crisp, red apple-tinged contrast stain, topped with plateau at the rim, and matches beautifully with the bright red nodes that seal the bamboo.