Chris Asteriou Sandblasted Nefertiti with Horn (1463) (2025) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Named for its resemblance to a famous bust of the ancient Egyptian queen's head, the Nefertiti is a Dublin-inspired shape pioneered by the legendary Danish artisan Sixten Ivarsson. It's a shape we've seen a few times before from Chris Asteriou, whose work draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, from the Anglo-French shape-chart classics to Danish Fancy Freehands. This Nefertiti from the Greek artisan showcases his keen eye for clean linework and balancing form and function.

The silhouette of this Nefertiti is sleek and streamlined. The bowl poises tall and thin with the shape's signature, slightly aftward-pointing cant. Its heel is round and distinct, jutting below the slim shank like the proud chin of the eponymous Egyptian queen. From the heel, the walls expand subtly into the rim, and sandblasted growth rings ripple up through this gentle flare. As is standard for the shape, the rim has a slight slant, with the back wall slightly taller than the front to emphasize the bowl's backward cant. Out back, the shank is a brief affair, emerging from an acute transition to join with a long ferrule made of creamy horn. This ferrule is mostly straight with just a gentle flare at its aft, which is echoed in the base of the slim vulcanite stem. This pipe, weighing just a touch over an ounce, is lightweight. With its flattened bit, it makes for clenching that's easy on the jaw. I like the simple, understated beauty this Nefertiti has. The few frills it has are unobtrusive, adding to the overall elegance without detracting from the shape.