When I first caught glimpse of this Double Wolf Paw Grade egg from Wolfgang Becker, I did a triple-take with sufficient force and velocity to blend a frozen margarita in my mouth. I can also imagine the grin on Wolfgang’s face as this shape was midway in process. When Becker sets out to carve a form he (of course) orients the block to make the most of the grain (pipe making 101), but from there it becomes ‘shape first and let the grain fall where it may’. In the case of this crazy-beautiful egg, the final outcome boasted more grain than a Somali War-Lord’s warehouse, the day after a food relief shipment.

The bowl is splendidly spherical, a virtual study in symmetry, until we arrive at the subtle lilt on the fore-left of the rim. Rather than going Ivarssonian route of pairing a bowl such as this with a shank that features an underside ridge (for implied continuity), Becker refers back to the rim with an equally ethereal drop at the heel. Jumping back on the grain-train (with these scintillating stripes, how could I not?!), the striations are so dense and uniform in coverage that I would declare them to be an alpha of the Double Wolf pack.

Along with all of the other superlatives that one can usually attach to Wolfgang Becker’s work, coming in at a length of only four and three-quarters inches, the overarching presentation is positively charming (and it certainly passes Teddy’s famous ‘hamster test’). I have loved Becker’s work since I first encountered it in 1998, and gravitate to it more with each passing season. This enthralling masterpiece just adds to a long time devotion. If you have the wherewithal to go for this one, for Pete’s sake, go for this one.

Bear Graves