Alexander Tupitsyn: Partially Sandblasted Acorn with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Alexander Tupitsyn's work often falls within the St. Petersburg style of robustly proportioned Danish shaping, an aesthetic pioneered by Vladimir Grechukhin, under whom Tupitsyn learned valuable aspects of pipe making, the two now working together to create PS Studio pipes alongside Sergey Dyomin. This Acorn from Alexander deviates slightly from his conventionally muscular designs and, instead, leans more heavily into the Danish modern tradition. This is most apparent in his use of a ridgeline around the transition, separating bowl from shank and nodding to a shaping cue attributed to Lars Ivarsson. Tupitsyn further emphasizes this bowl/shank disparity via a striking, dual finish, the shank wearing a vibrant, mahogany contrast stain, while the bowl showcases a crisp sandblast of dark chocolate hue. The color palette follows the profile's sweeping, forward-urging gesture — beginning at the shank end, the palette starts off with the pale, beige hues of boxwood gradually darkening through the shank's stain and terminating, ultimately, at the bowl's. It's a beautiful composition from Alexander, seamlessly incorporating the pipe's hues with elements of the form and testifying to the Russian carver's expert craftsmanship and artistry.