Grechukhin: Smooth Bent Pot with Black Palm Wood Tobacco Pipe

The plump shaping that we often see from Vladimir is reduced here, though his aesthetic is still unquestionably present. This is a fairly compact pipe, at least as length is concerned, though the vertical proportions and bowl size are generous. The wide, neatly rounded rim complements the overall shape, and the transition provides some cheeking of the bowl, though not overtly, and leads to a muscular shank that widens toward the stem. I've yet to see a tapered stem from Vladimir, so this tapered mouthpiece is no surprise, and it would be disappointing in this shape, anyway. I speculate that he prefers saddle stems because they tend to disappear in the background and emphasize the briar itself. In this case, the briar is well grained, with flame circumnavigating the bowl and birdsye high and low. Comfortable in the hand, large enough to keep going for a respectable time, yet small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, this piece is stellar.