Sandblasted Bent Egg (F) (319) Tobacco Pipe

An evocative, stunningly dynamic rendition of the bent Egg, this piece from the Tsuge Ikebana workshop is as excellent an example as can be found of the aesthetic marriage displayed by many of their briars. The low-sitting visual weight of the bowl and sinuously curved form certainly indicate a Danish influence, as does the Fish-like approach to the shape itself, with flattened panels to each flank showcasing two canvases of tight cross-grain. The gentle taper of the forward canted bowl creates something of a 'lip' in profile, visually balanced by the crisply flared shank, not to mention the negative space implied by the gently down-turned stem. Beyond impressive work here.

- Daniel Bumgardner