Smooth Bent Brandy (455) Tobacco Pipe

Evoking the disposition of certain Swan renditions I've encountered, this 3/4 bent Brandy shape from Micah "Yeti" Cryder is a playful, not to mention fairly compact pipe despite its bowl's relative substance. Said bowl ebbs gracefully forward, emphasized by licks of windswept flame, and bolstered by a bit of muscularity emphasized by the softly inflated rim. There's a not-insignificant degree of lift at the heel, swiftly followed by a rapidly rising shank and stem combination, lending the pipe's silhouette a look that evokes the impression of wisps of smoke rising effortlessly into the air. That aforementioned flame grain is highlighted by one of the carver's stellar contrast finishes, in this case a smoldering, red walnut, with a jet-black stem serving to ground the composition in a historically sound look. Lovely stuff.