Partially Sandblasted Reverse Calabash Acorn with Palmwood (1055) Tobacco Pipe

Polish carver Wojtek Pastuch's work displays a versatility of design that includes everything from faithful classic renditions to whimsical Freehand shapes. This Acorn falls on the inventive end of the spectrum, with a gestural, oblong bowl perched on the end of an undercurving shank and hidden reverse Calabash chamber. The affect is quite organic, as if the pipe grew on a pipe-producing tree as opposed to being crafted, an aesthetic difficult to pull off so well.

Pastuch makes excellent use of the briar's grain, employing a deep, craggy sandblast to accentuate ring grain around the bowl and undulating growth rings running up the shank, for a stimulating in-hand presence and plenty for the eye to admire. The sandblast is stained a dark hue, while the broad, inflated rim is left smooth and slightly lighter for contrast. Made quite subtle by the unique shaping of the pipe, the hidden reverse Calabash chamber at the shank end is quite artfully incorporated, half the expanse contained in the briar with the other half in the palmwood accent. The palmwood section is reminiscent of an acorn, and tricks my eye into believing it is just part of the design, not a Calabash chamber, yet promises to cool and dry the smoke regardless. An abbreviated, tapered stem of vulcanite tops everything off with a downturn, looking like the stem of the acorn and promoting a comfortable smoking posture.