Jess Chonowitsch Smooth Fish with Mastodon Ivory Ferrule Tobacco Pipe

The history surrounding my favorite Danish esoteric shape isn't quite as clean as my pedantic nature would prefer it to be, especially because of the relative modernity of the form (it's not like I'm trying to get the name of the first human with enough guts to eat a lobster). As the catechism has it, the Blowfish originated with a Sixten form which he titled 'Disk' (though some attribute it to his son, Lars). The blowfish name (per se) actually originated from another Lars Ivarsson design, which did look somewhat more like a blowfish (in a very abstract way). Through the years, the degree of asymmetry, prominence of panels, the very title of the shape would vary from not only carver to carver, even within an individual carver's interpretation, depending on the timeline.

Though, at times, the lines of what constitutes a Blowfish can be ephemeral, the fact that you are now gazing at the very zenith of the milieu should remain uncontested. At the risk of asking a question which might lead you to believe that I am as mad as a proverbial Hatter (ok, more so), can a pipe be too perfect? If so, this Jess Chonowitsch Fish might be there. I have held this piece-of-stunning for close to 45 minutes now, and I can't tear my eyes from it. I cannot find any fault (and lord knows, I have tried), however I keen the edge of my critical side, this form softly deflects, dulls that edge and, impossibly, becomes a wee bit more beautiful. I've encountered Fish with obscenely perfect shaping, I have held a few which were so adorable that they almost melted my heart. This Jess Chonowitsch Fish is the first that has managed to do both simultaneously.

--R. 'Bear' Graves