This tall brandy is a deceptive shape. It could have been executed very simply, but doing so would have taken away a lot of what makes the pipe special. When I look at a maker's work, I often wonder where the influence comes from. Here I see something of Garbe's grace, Eltang's effortless shape precision, Kent's attention to detail and symmetry, Barbi's sense of flow—the list goes on, and though the influences may be seen, or at least imagined, this piece is certainly not derivative.

The union between shank and bowl is sharply defined, yet perfectly integrated. The height of the bowl presents excellent visual balance to the rest of the composition, and promises a lovely, long smoke. This sort of half-saddle mouthpiece is one of those things that almost always appeals to me, and it works here to lower the visual center of mass, keeping the pipe solidly grounded. Overall, a very lovely pipe.

GLP