Sandblasted Elf with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Brazilian carver Emanuel de Queiroz Emiliano crafts a wide range of pipes, from unique, sculpture-inspired Freehands to more traditional shape-chart standards, with this Elf shape being something of a middle ground between the two. The Elf is one of Emiliano's signature shapes, and one of his most expressive as well. In essence, the Elf is a slightly embellished Egg, possessing a supple bowl that stands atop an angular, Pickaxe-like heel. From its pointed base, the bowl flares to a broad waistline before tapering inward to a slanted rim that favors the aft over the fore. The rim's angled build draws the eye to the pipe's aft, which here, features a trim shank extended by two knuckles of pale bamboo. The dense grass lends a touch of vibrancy to the shape's color palette and bridges the stummel to a demurely curved saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite. Dressing this piece is a crisp, ruby-hued sandblast that draws out rippling growth rings across the bowl's flanks.