Sandblasted Bent Apple with Bakelite Stem Tobacco Pipe

Sam Adebayo has proved himself a fair hand at this sort of full-bodied bent Apple in the past, though this particular piece represents a more rugged, organically-inclined style than we have seen previously. The bowl is pleasantly palm-filling, with stout chamber walls and just the slightest touch of asymmetry to the rim. Its ruggedness comes from a craggy sandblast, with waves of ring grain rounding both bowl and shank in neat lines, as well as a polished plateau rim with its channels in relief. The biggest departure from previous pieces, however, is in the jagged shank-face; in prior pieces, boxwood or bakelite accent rings have been used to create a neat divide between shank and stem, here the shank has been left in a much more natural state, with plateau gently framing the mortise. It's a pleasant change, and we can hope to see more of these pastoral, organic pieces from Sam in the future.

- Rachel DuBose