Partially Sandblasted Jumping Fish Tobacco Pipe

Sometimes you see a freehand shape name, and you have to kind of scratch your head and take several minutes to try and see where the resemblance lies between namesake and the actual form presented. Not here — not by a long shot. If you've ever seen a fish jump, you've seen the nature of this design, from the obvious element of the leaping curve it follows, to the neatly implied splashes of both the fish's exit and re-entry, seen in the tapered asymmetry of shank-end and bowl-base, respectively. Is this a pipe? Yes, and a very neatly drilled and engineered one. But, also, it's essentially a miniature sculpture as well, and would be quite a well-executed piece of art even without any stem or drilling, and just the form, lines, handling of grain and finish.

- Eric N. Squires