Sandblasted Bent Egg with Boxwood (366) Tobacco Pipe

A full-bodied bent Egg with stout shank and a low center of mass, this piece seems to have been made for comfort in the hand, resting naturally in the palm and replicating the angles thereof, with the thumb drapes easily over the shank and along the near side of the bowl. It falls right into Bill Shalosky's shaping style in that respect, his pipes often sporting a plump disposition. The grain is remarkable, with concentric growth rings consistently circling the bowl and the vertical grain in relief against the sandblast. The rim has a concave curve to it in profile, a nice design element that maintains the organic curvature of the bowl. The light stain provides an eye-pleasing, tan blast palette that works very well with the boxwood shank ring and cumberland mouthpiece, which is in a short saddle configuration, leading the eye to where it should be: on the bowl itself.