Smooth Bent Egg with Masur Birch (Two Star) Tobacco Pipe

Compared to his more flourishing, sculptural pieces, we don't see all that many Eggs from Kent Rasmussen. On the off chance that we do receive one of these classically themed briars, they tend to be elongated, sinuous interpretations of the design, seemingly stretched and drawn out to further accentuate the form's smooth, fluid lines. This piece is quite surprising, then: a more tight-knit, compact take on the shape with a more abrupt treatment of the shank and a more upright posture to the bowl itself. Proportions aside, it's quite unique compositionally as well, with two almost Blowfish-like leading lines flowing down the underside of either flank that work to accentuate the cheeks while creating a ridged aesthetic along the fore of the bowl. It might not be one of Kent's more sculptural pieces, but it is very much a shape that follows the grain, as Kent's oriented the block to reveal a perfect cross-cut pattern — columns of cross-grain cascading down either flank and birdseye covering everything in between.

- Andrew Wike