Partially Sandblasted Driver with Boxwood (Double Wolf Paw) Tobacco Pipe

If you're unfamiliar with Wolfgang Becker's work, this bent Egg variant is a fine introduction. One of the German carver's signature shapes, this rendition is named the Driver, in recognition of its particularly tall bowl compared to similar pieces, giving it something of a club-like appearance that wouldn't be out of place on a golf course. Becker fell in love with pipes in the '80s, greatly admiring the work of Lars Ivarsson he saw in Pipe Club magazine, which eventually led to Wolfgang making his own pipes with help and advice from Klaus Hahn, another German artisan. Since then, Becker has become a highly esteemed pipe maker, his style readily recognizable through its utilization of bulbous forms, subtle asymmetry, and an all-around playful approach to shaping.

This particularly hearty Driver exemplifies Wolfgang's signature aesthetic and is a shape the German carver has returned to time and time again over the years. In profile, the design is most notably defined by the palm-filling bowl. Despite its muscular mass, though, it showcases a surprising degree of dynamism in its forward cant, angled rim, and sweeping heel, belying the form's thick-walled muscularity. Most characteristic of this signature Becker shape, however, is the shaping of the shank — when viewed from the smoker's perspective, the pinched, oval orientation is tilted slightly leftward, offsetting the transition and offering a playful sense of asymmetry. It's a touch subtle enough not to be evident in profile, but one that tastefully makes this piece a standout. Moreover, this rendition is distinguished by a partially sandblasted finish across both flanks that lends the pipe a dual personality depending on the viewer's vantage point, the smooth, walnut stain of the right side and dark sandblast of the left beautifully contrasted by a bright boxwood accent along the shank end.