Smooth Chestnut Tobacco Pipe

Quite the organic form from Alex Florov, this Chestnut design takes inspiration from the Tomato shape in its squat, plump bowl. The shank, though, is poised directly in the middle, the top and bottom lines of the bowl curving symmetrically into the abbreviated shank's lines before flaring outward again into the dramatic, disc-like shank face. This disc, then, is defined by a crisp facet that wraps the edge — the intricate panel work a signature of Florov's — and the motif is echoed by the circular stem base. While the piece doesn't feature any adorning accents, Alex has used asymmetry to that effect: When viewed head-on the bowl drifts upward and to the right, as if bowing to some imaginary gust of wind. Furthermore, the stem base, while incorporating the same general shape as the shank face, is slightly askew, adding even more asymmetrical flourish. Dressing the stummel, then, is a striking contrast stain, highlighting the briar's streaks of vertical grain that inform the bowl's cant and the sea of birdseye that dominates the underside.