Doctor's: Smooth Dublin with Bamboo and Polymerized Dinosaur Bone (Flash) Tobacco Pipe

Compared to Roman Kovalev's other bamboo-adorned pieces, this Doctor's Dublin is a bit more restrained, the Russian carver having opted for a more uniform section of bamboo as opposed to the wildly-shaped, eccentric pieces we often see from him. Though fairly straight, the bamboo here does showcase quite a tight-knit group of knuckles. Five knuckles are packed into barely an inch's length, and Roman has deftly accented the bamboo's nodes with rounded boxwood for a hint of added texture. Most impressive, however, is how slender this section of bamboo is. As trim as pencil-shanked briar, such a piece necessitated an extremely careful and steady hand from Kovalev when drilling the airway, and he's reinforced the shank with a durable metal tenon.

Shape-wise, the bowl is a Dublin design. This rendition is slightly pinched at the flanks for an oval nature when viewed from above. Subtle asymmetry plays at the domed rim — the defining ridgeline that separates it from the rest of the bowl undulates slightly, while the top is kissed with accenting dimples of natural plateau. Combined with the bamboo, the flaring bowl fits in well to Doctor's often organic shaping style, and the windswept flame grain adorning the bowl maintains the stunning grain we expect to see from Kovalev, having earned his Flash grade designation.