Sandblasted Acorn with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Chinese artisan Lv Zelong's fascination with pipes began in 2009, when he took up pipe smoking as a hobby. Quickly becoming enamored with the aesthetic beauty of handcrafted pipes, he sought the advice and instruction of fellow Dalian native Ping Zhan, who along with Lan Zhenjun, mentored the young artisan. Their influence can be found Zelong's work, as well as that of Danish master, which, combined with Zelong's own artistic eye, create a unique, organic style.

This Acorn is an excellent example of Zelong's style, featuring a supple, curvaceous bowl with a domed rim and walls that taper down to a soft heel and defined transition. Said rim culminates in a beveled, undulating inner section, creating a distinctly organic silhouette at the fore of slim shank extended by a girthy bamboo section consisting of two gnarled knuckles. Zelong has paid meticulous attention to incorporating the material seamlessly into the pipe's other elements, carving out a section of the shank, as well as the stem to match the natural texture of the pale grass. The stem itself is rendered in a sleek, asymmetrical saddle configuration, hand-cut from jet-black vulcanite. Dressed in a rich auburn contrast stain, the sandblasted stummel displays impeccable ring grain around the bowl that gives way birdseye around the rim, the inner section of which is left smooth, highlighting fine swirls of the same.