Rusticated Pumpkin Billiard with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Mike Sebastian Bay's Shaping style is influenced by the Danish greats, his portfolio typified by its consistently excellent output of classic shapes steeped in Danish sensibilities. This Billiard displays that style quite well, with a classically Danish silhouette that yet showcases Bay's unique vision, being one of his signature pumpkin-style iterations of the shape. There are a few differences between this style of Billiard versus the more archetypal Anglo-French style, all of which concern the bowl. The bowl here follows the Danish tradition, with a plump, low-set waist and a bit of a Brandy-like taper to the rim, though here the plumpness of its waist and its degree of taper are enhanced. The waist is especially emphasized, lending this piece a supple feel in hand as the walls make their soft arc to the rim and take on a dynamic forward cant, affording the profile a slightly jaunty look. The transition is wide, and it gives way to a sleek, slightly extended shank that reaches out to meet a black vulcanite saddle stem with a broad band of horn at the base. This pair's slimness keeps the overall weight of the pipe low, making it a good option for travel carry, and the stummel is dressed in a craggy rustication that covers it in ample texture. This rustication is Bay's signature Eltang-style carving but flipped, so that the channels run up the walls of the bowl, rather than being stacked: creating a look reminiscent of this pipe's namesake gourd, contrasted by the smooth rim and horn fitment.