Doctor's: Sandblasted Bent Brandy with Boxwood (Double Flash) Tobacco Pipe

Roman Kovalev of Doctor's Pipes is perhaps best known for his more unconventional pipemaking — regularly using eccentrically shaped bamboo, fashioning incredibly organic designs, and utilizing non-traditional materials such as polymerized dinosaur bone. And yet, the Russian carver doesn't use these crazy motifs as a distraction or crutch, hiding sub-par craftsmanship or shying away from classic shapes. Not at all. Roman is as much an expert craftsman as he is a creative genius: He's equally adept at fashioning exacting pipe chart standards, and regardless of the design, all of his pieces are imbued with a strict adherence to quality engineering and artisan detail. He is, afterall, a medical doctor as well — another field in which imperfection and mere average quality are not tolerated.

In this bent Brandy, Kovalev shows off the classic side of his shaping spectrum through clean line work, beautiful curves, and pristine proportions. It's a rendition that falls in line with the Danish design style's interpretation of the original Anglo-French form. The shape is inherently defined by the bowl's taper toward the rim, but whereas English and French versions feature a firmer heel and more defined transition, Danish makers conventionally smooth out these aspects — the heel curling more naturally into the bowl's fore and, likewise, the top of the shank blending more seamlessly with the aft line through the transition.

Roman has hit both of those design cues here, urging the piece forward with subtle momentum from the curling shank and stem combination to the slight cant of the bowl. Furthering the Danish aesthetic, he's accented the sandblasted stummel with a smooth rim, yet the blast is more craggy of texture, cascading with ring grain. The color palette also deviates from the classic Danish style, which often contrasts a dark stain against a rim of lighter hue, as this Kovalev piece maintains a natural, sandy-toned finish throughout — accentuated by a bright, domed mount of boxwood at the shank end. Fitted with a metal tenon for added durability, it also bears Roman's second highest grade designation: Double Flash.