Alexander Tupitsyn: Smooth Bent Apple with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

When artisan pipe makers work in close proximity to one another, they often develop similar stylistic cues, especially if mentored by the same veteran carver. Such a phenomenon characterizes a number of pipe makers in St. Petersburg, Russia, thanks to the experience and mentorship of Vladimir Grechukhin. Alexander Tupitsyn apprenticed under Grechukhin for a number of years and still collaborates with the elder artisan on PS Studio pipes alongside Sergey Dyomin, while also carving handmade pipes under his own name. Grechukhin's signature style of compact, muscular, and plumb designs has naturally influenced the aesthetic style of those he apprenticed, and the proliferation of these design cues have become known as the St. Petersburg design school, describing the similar styles of many of the pipe makers living in that city — namely Grechukhin, Tupitsyn, and others mentored by Vladimir.

This bent Apple exemplifies Alexander's signature style and that of the St. Petersburg tradition in general, combining plump curves with stout proportions all in a Nosewarmer size. The shape's muscularity is most evident in profile, though, and when viewed aerially, the shank reveals a more slender motif, compressed along the flanks in a manner that emphasizes the bowl's rotund shaping. Adding a dose of accenting firmness, the shank's underside comprises two ridgelines that define the undercurve of the shape in profile, dissipating at the transition and giving way to the bowl's softly rounded, upward taper. Stunning flame grain commends the stummel in a traditional auburn stain, and the stem base bears an accent of boxwood for a handsome complement that matches the lighter hues of the stain.