Smooth Brandy with Horn (Diamond) Tobacco Pipe

A much taller take on the shape than we've seen previously from Peter Heding, this bent Brandy does indeed feature quite a bit of height to the bowl, with the corresponding chamber depth to match. That being said, Peter's done an excellent job balancing that extra height with the rest of the composition. The plump, low-set waistline and slow, convex taper up to the rim, for example, seem to soften the starkness of that height, and the strong curling gesture to the upward-flicking shank likewise keeps the silhouette quite tight-knit. Together with Heding's signature cheeking around the transition, it all makes for a more muscular rather than towering aesthetic in profile, while still using that extra height to showcase the best of the block's smoldering licks of flame. Suffice to say, this piece has certainly earned Peter's prestigious "Diamond" designation. Beautiful work.

- Andrew Wike