Smooth Bent Apple with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Russian artisan Alexander Tupitsyn joined Sergey Dyomin under Vladimir Grechukhin's PS Studio project. With Grechukhin's mentorship and guidance, Alexander honed his craft as a pipe maker and established himself as one of Russia's top-respected artisans, making pipes for PS Studio as well as under his own name. This bent Apple from Tupitsyn's personal line exemplifies the Russian carver's aesthetic, as well as that of the St. Petersburg design aesthetic in general — a shaping style initiated by Vladimir Grechukhin and passed down to Alexander. This design school is often characterized by compact forms with increased proportions that display affable chubbiness and muscularity for a substantial feel in hand. Tupitsyn often accents that style with firm ridgelines, contrasting the hearty, curvaceous shaping, as is the case here.

Plump and voluptuous, the bowl urges forward from a gentle transition and lens-shaped shank. Said shank features ridgelines along the lower flanks, and Alexander terminates them at the transition, gradually dissipating them to retain the bowl's smooth, uninterrupted texture. Stellar grain commends the stummel and conforms to the overall shaping: Tendrils of flame grain curl inward in unison with the bowl's rounded taper upward, and the vertical grain along the shank emanates from the aforementioned ridgelines. Highlighted in an auburn stain, the grain is one vivid display, while a trim ring of boxwood accents the stem base and complements the lighter hues of the finish.