Alexander Tupitsyn: Smooth Volcano Tobacco Pipe

This is an astonishing, minimalist rendition of the Volcano shape from Alexander Tupitsyn, and is a rarity within his canon, one of the first Volcanoes we've seen from the carver. The angles of the bowl are oriented to take full advantage of the grain, which is tight, vertical and consistent. The rim, rather than reflecting the scoop, is flat in silhouette and chamfered at the tobacco chamber. That flattened aspect lends an impression of further precision. The transition from bowl to shank is soft, and the undercurve of the base is also curved in a dome-like fashion, permitting the pipe to sit easily, and though it rocks, it seems to have no inclination to fall over. Birdseye monopolizes the top of the shank as well as the entire wide seep of the base. The shank, though, is among the most prominent design elements, as it's nearly the same width as the bowl in a teardrop configuration with crisp ridge lines on either side. The saddle stem perfectly complements the curves and lines of the bowl.