Luiz Lavos Smooth Bent Dublin Sitter Tobacco Pipe

Brazilian carver Luis Lavos gained an appreciation for woodworking as a child in his grandfather's workshop. He grew up to study graphic arts, but his early appreciation for woodwork never left him, so it seemed only natural for him to take up pipe making. Lavos learned an immense amount about the craft from Sabina Santos, Premal Chheda, and Hans "Former" Nielsen, and he cites Tom Eltang and Jess Chonowitsch as influences on his work. Danish influence is evident in this bent Dublin offering, as it possesses the same supple curves, precise line work, and organic sensibility found in that school of design.

A stable Sitter thanks to its flattened heel and well-balanced proportions, this piece features a tall bowl whose towering height accentuates a steady flare to the rim. The shank mirrors the bowl's upward expansion by flaring toward a demurely curved saddle stem, a design cue that fosters a sense of visual symmetry across the whole of the composition. A crisp ridgeline encircles the domed rim and evokes the appearance of a Rhodesian or Calabash, while further emphasizing the disparity between the wide rim and the more taut heel. It's all dressed in an auburn smooth finish that highlights a handsome showing of flame grain along the bowl's flanks and a sea of birdseye along the rim.