Alexander Tupitsyn: Sandblasted Bent Apple with Silver Tobacco Pipe

Along with fashioning pipes under his own name, Alexander Tupitsyn is a member of the PS Studio workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia which is headed by renowned artisan carver Vladimir Grechukhin. Vladimir's influential style can be seen here in this bent Apple, but remains readily recognizable as the work of Tupitsyn. Though it's a compact, Nosewarmer design, there's no shortage of substance found within this piece as it seamlessly combines muscularity and elegance.

Dynamic and forward-urging in profile, the stout shank sweeps into the bowl's broad waistline and accentuates its plump disposition. The bowl's bulging flanks gracefully taper toward the rim with an abundance of undulating ring grain rising in tandem with the tapering flanks. The rim has been left smooth for some textural contrast, stained a walnut hue that pairs exceptionally well with the extra-dark hue of the sandblasted stummel. The bright silver ring along the shank end works in tandem with the rest of the stummel's crisp, dark sandblast to give the piece a classy dress pipe aesthetic while the stem's soft downturn promises comfort and balance for hands-free smoking.