Smooth Bulldog Tobacco Pipe

While we've seen a number of this sort of Bulldog shape from Werner Mummert — crisp-lined and sturdy of form, its bead-lines set high on the bowl — we've seen very few smooth-finished ones in traditional contrast stains. Here, the finish is used to highlight the briar's grain with aplomb, the lines of the piece perfectly framing different patterns. Streaks of grain around the bowl, for instance, with a sea of birdseye at the rim, and a mixture of 3/4 grain along the edges of the shank. It might seem simple, but it's clever work, and it's the skill of the carver that makes it look so effortless, after all. Recommended.