Sandblasted Potato Sack with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Irish artisan Austin Quinlan uses his background in pipe restoration to produce well-engineered pieces that are both stylish and functional. While normally seen crafting pipes that fall within the standard Anglo-French shape-chart, Quinlan is also known to occasionally venture into the realm of Danish and Japanese shapes, as seen in this Potato Sack. A shape created by legendary Danish pipe artisan Sixten Ivarsson, the Potato Sack resembles the Acorn, with a softly pointed heel and asymmetrical walls that rise toward a rounded rim. This particular Potato Sack from Austin Quinlan is especially Acorn-like, with subtly uneven walls that rise toward a rim that appears to slant toward the bowl's left flank. A mid-set transition gives way to a lifted shank that quickly meets an extension of boxwood, the accent adding a pop of color to the pipe's otherwise dark palette. Protruding from the boxwood is a stylized cumberland stem that completes the pipe's bend toward the bit, giving this piece a satisfying jaw-hanging posture. The pigments along the stem and boxwood pair well to the dark sandblasted stummel, which provides ample texture to enjoy.