Partially Sandblasted Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

In many ways, this is a very different type of bent Dublin from those we've received from Alexander Tupitsyn in the past. For one thing, it's a surprisingly asymmetrical design, both in form and finish. For another, the overall silhouette is of a tighter-knit style, with the shank almost curled up against the bowl. Yet Tupitsyn's excellent linework is just as on point here. The edges of the teardrop shank do follow a more asymmetric taper down the underside, but they merge just under the transition to form one singular ridge that flows through the heel and up the fore of the bowl — lending the silhouette even more definition, similar to his more Ilsted-inspired pieces. As for grain, Tupitsyn's delivered on both sandblasted and smooth-polished fronts, as this piece sports an exceptional ring grain and flame grain pattern alike.

- Andrew Wike