American Estates: Alex Florov Smooth Volcano (Slonim) (1) (2018) Tobacco Pipe

Russian-born Alex Florov gained much of his sensibilities around the use of wood, plastics, stone, and metal during his tenure as a restorer of antique furniture at a museum. He takes an artistic approach to pipe making, with a focus on bringing out the beauty that can already be found within the wood. The results of this approach are masterpieces of highly evocative, sculpture-like design such as this unique Volcano. Florov has really outdone himself with this piece, having created a complex, one-of-a-kind pipe whose beauty can be appreciated again and again. Every examination reveals new details and elicits a greater appreciation for Florov's command over the artistry of pipe making.

While this pipe does not initially resemble your typical Volcano, upon closer inspection, one can find the resemblance in the distinct ridgeline that clearly separates the top of the stummel from the plump bottom and in the taper (though staggered it may be) from this ridgeline into the bowl's rim. With the organic asymmetry formed by the swirling ridgelines, the pipe shares a certain likeness with a natural, real life volcano. Viewing the pipe from the fore, with the stem facing away, one can see that the right flank has a steeper slope than the left, as if that were the side down which lava flowed. Furthering the volcano imagery, the rim is beveled, making it look like a volcano's crater.

The shank-and-stem arrangement for this pipe is unusual. When viewing the pipe from an aerial perspective, the shank appears to grow out of a swirl that begins at the fore of the bowl, growing in width as it wraps around the bowl towards the aft, where the shank emerges at a sideways angle. The stem, rather than joining to the face of this sideways-protruding shank, bisects the side of the stummel just before the shank emerges therefrom. The base is extended beyond the stummel, leading to wide shoulders that follow the curve of the shank below, and the bit emerges from these shoulders with thin and flowing lines. All of the stummel's spiraling ridgelines and various facets function to clearly demarcate sections of rich straight grain that can be viewed from the sides and the billowing eddies of birdseye that can be viewed from the top and bottom. The bottom of the bowl features dark valleys flowing around brief peaks of smooth plateau, contributing to the organic feel of the pipe. A rich, oak-hued stain dresses the smooth stummel.