Smooth Rhodesian Tobacco Pipe

I really love how Tonni Nielsen handles the classic Rhodesian shape. Typically a shape defined by its stout shank and transition, Tonni takes a leaner approach to the traditional form, with a particular emphasis on gesture and line. The heel is soft and subtly lifting, that gesture playing right into the strong sweeping lines of the underside and top of the shank, guiding the eye seamlessly from end to end. That easy flow is accentuated even more by the way Nielsen's handled the shank itself, keeping it low-profile by pinching it into a lenticular shape, the ridges to either side reinforcing the design's sweeping gesture in profile. It's a gorgeous take on the classic shape, and one that's Tonni through and through.

- Andrew Wike