Misc. Estates: Andrey Kharitonov Smooth Freehand (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Muscovite Andrey Kharitonov was gifted his first pipe on his 20th birthday, which his brother hand-carved from cherry wood, and his love affair with pipes began. Kharitonov often restored and repaired his personal pipes until he fortuitously found a tobacconist that sold Italian briar. Initially, Kharitonov had no pipe making tools or workshop and crafted his pipes with nothing more than a few files, a chisel, and some sandpaper at his kitchen table. Despite his limited range of tools, he was able to create one-of-a-kind Freehands defined by fluting ridges and avant-garde compositions. However, when he published pictures of his imaginative pipes on online forums, pipe smokers challenged him to make more practical pipes that felt comfortable in hand. Spurred on, Kharitonov tried his hand at more conservative pieces, which soon influenced his artistic eye. Now, Kharitonov both prioritizes function and aesthetics, resulting in designs that are both striking collectors pieces and sublime smokers.

This Freehand is an excellent showcase of Andrey Kharitonov's signature style. The shank is defined by a broad, semi-circular contour on the top and a series of three crisp ridges on the underside that form a diamond arrangement. These three ridges extend through the transition, with the two on the flanks wrapping around to the fore and the bottom-most line splitting them, arcing upward through the heel. In contrast, the bowl is rather traditional, with wide, flared walls that rise to a softly inflated rim. Furthermore, the bowl possesses another tactile feature, albeit more subtle than the shank's ridges, dual beadlines positioned just below the rim. Moreover, the stummel is dressed in a walnut smooth finish, which highlights wispy flame grain on the bowl's flanks and tightly packed birdseye on the rim and underside.