Misc. Estates: Konstantin Shekita Sandblasted Blowfish with Bamboo (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Konstantin Shekita is a Ukrainian pipe carver whose style is among the most immediately recognizable in contemporary pipe making. Shekita got his start at the Golden Gate pipe factory in Kiev carving mouthpieces, though he was soon among the factory's most proficient artisans. With over three decades of experience, Shekita is now a true master, cultivating a highly sculptural, idiosyncratic style beloved by pipe aficionados around the world.

This Blowfish is an excellent example of Shekita's impressive carving ability, featuring a bulbous bowl that displays the shape's characteristic paneled flanks in a truly visionary iteration. The left flank is defined by an imposing ridge that enwraps the entire section, while the wall itself is deeply scalloped, accentuating the ridge and creating an ergonomic presence in hand. Said ridge continues into shank, but instead of adding a matching panel on the right, Shekita has carved the pipe create the illusion of a tail that completely encircles the right, fanning out over the wall in a long, broad protrusion. The crisp edge of the tail occupies the space that a more traditional second panel would, creating a creative subversion of the standard design. The shank itself rises seamlessly from the transition, fitted with a pale section of bamboo which joins a deeply bent saddle stem of black vulcanite. Notably, the extended tail is carved with a section removed to accommodate the shank, creating a perfectly integrated and unbroken line around the bowl. Dressed in a crisp black sandblast, the stummel offers a wealth of finely textured grain for the fingers to explore as they traverse this wildly imaginative piece.