Martin Romijn Smooth Squat Dublin with Ivorite (New)

Within the modern artisan community, there are many pipe makers with backgrounds in other forms of art, manufacture, and handicraft, and who apply skills learned in their previous vocations to the creation of their pipes. Some artisans are former machinists; others were carpenters; some were even painters in their past lives. Martin Romijn, on the other hand, belongs to a small minority of pipe makers whose previous career was in stonemasonry. Like Germany’s Frank Axmacher, Romijn spent much of his adult life cutting and sculpting stone, doing so across a broad range of practical and ornamental applications. While those days are now behind him, Romijn still carries with him much of what he learned from working with granite, quartz, and marble. The skills and philosophy he cultivated as a stonemason continue to inform his pipe making endeavors, just as they did when he set his sights on briar nearly a decade ago. And, when asked about his technique regarding the latter, he cracks a wry smile, stating simply that “pipe is already inside the piece of briar, I only have to reveal it by taking away everything that doesn’t look like a pipe!”

To call Martin Romijn’s pipes “plump” would be an understatement, and even those works which are on the shorter side, like this one, nonetheless exhibit the buxom quality that makes his pipes recognizable both visually and in one’s hand. This particular pipe is one of Romijn’s squat and palm-friendly interpretations of the modern Dublin shape, utilizing a deep contrast finish to accentuate the flame grain patterning of its broad bowl, and an ivory-like mouthpiece to set off its fiery exterior even further. As for accents, this one includes an interesting touch that has become something of a signature of Romin’s works: a ring-like beading of the briar at the end of the shank, inspired by Romijn’s time spent sculpting stone before he set his sights on briar.

Details:

Length: 5.11″ / 129.7mm

Chamber Width: 0.74″ / 18.79mm

Chamber Depth: 1.24″ / 31.49mm

Bowl Height: 1.75″ / 44.45mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 50g