Smooth Acorn (1606) Tobacco Pipe

Jared Coles simply excels at this more muscular, modern American style of Acorn shape, fusing a Danish sense of smooth line and sweeping curve with a powerful stance and some serious substance overall. The form of the bowl itself is defined by soft lines and supple curves: a gentle upsweep of the heel, a broad, softly rounded waistline set high, a beautifully domed, almost bulbous rim. Yet all that soft shaping is contrasted extremely well by the comparatively firm lines of the shank and stem configurations — a juxtaposition that adds an aggressive dynamism to the piece. What really completes the composition, for me however, is the subtle organic touches Jared's executed in the finish. A kiss of plateau along the fore of the rim, some slight asymmetry in the plateau-crowned shank end, and a just a beautiful, deliberate grain orientation all around.

- Andrew Wike