Smooth 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. Essentially an embellished Egg shape, the Elf is defined by its curvaceous bowl, which stands atop a pointed, Pickaxe-like heel and grows supple walls that reach to a dramatically sloped rim. Said rim is raised higher at the aft than the fore — a shaping choice that lends the totality of the bowl an angular look and a visually active appearance in profile. This particular rendition boasts that unique bowl and sees it posed at the fore of a trim shank extended by two knuckles of bamboo. The bamboo lends a pop of vibrant warmth to the shape's otherwise muted palette and acts as an organic bridge between the briar stummel and the cumberland stem that punctuates the pipe's aft. A glossy smooth finish completes the ensemble and highlights gorgeous flame grain across the bowl's flanks.