Smooth Sphinx with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Emanuel de Queiroz Emiliano started smoking a pipe while in seminary as a young man, growing a love for the solitary and singular companionship shared by a smoker and their pipe. As he smoked, Emanuel became aware of the world of artisan pipes, soon discovering the works of fellow Brazilians Gustavo Cunha of MarTelo pipes and Flávia Rodrigues. Inspired by the work of his countrymen, Emiliano made a pipe of his own using only rudimentary tools, meeting success immediately as photos of his first piece drove a wave of commission requests that helped him to establish his own workshop in Curitiba, Brazil. He later went on to learn under artisans such as Angelo del Prete of Il Cerchio pipes, Angelo Fassi, and Luiz Lavos, affording him a complex and sophisticated design language.

The Sphinx is an old Bo Nordh shape that falls into a similar style as his Elephant's Foot and Shield shapes, being a profile defined by its crisp line work and precise requirements for grain orientation. Much like its relatives, the sphinx features a central, wrapping ridgeline that surrounds the bowl vertically and creates a sharp heel spur in profile, though in the Sphinx, this ridge curls forward, creating a subtle, accelerating dynamism. This separation of the fore and aft sections manifests as a broad panel at the fore, meant specifically to showcase excellent birdseye, and that's certainly present in this example. The bowl shape here is a bit more compact than is usually seen from this design, making for a pipe that's rather light and well-suited to portability, something emphasized by the robust push-mount of the stem. Both the fore and aft portions of the bowl are nicely rounded and comfortable in the hand, with the ridge lending a bit of firmness, and the bowl itself is paired to a short shank out back via a wide transition. Said shank lifts gently to meet a band of black vulcanite and a flaring extension of horn, with this horn featuring a brass inlay that reinforces the stem's mount, keeping the fit tight and sturdy. Dressed in a warm, rich, chestnut-hued stain, the fore and aft both feature lovely birdseye, with the central ridge displaying a wrapping pattern of cross grain.