Konstantin Shekita: Partially Sandblasted Freehand Horn Tobacco Pipe

With precision and an eye for minute details, Ukranian artisan Konstantin Shekita crafts a wide range of gorgeous pipes, from traditional Anglo-French classics to more expressive, sculptural designs. This Freehand Horn is something of a happy marriage of those two disparate styles. Steeply curved and tapered, this piece boasts a crescent-shaped silhouette that's amplified by a pocket of negative space over the transition. This negative space accentuates the pronounced curvature present at either end of the composition and draws attention to the consistent, unbroken undercurve that underscores the stummel. Though fairly traditional in appearance, this piece boasts a subtle organic flourish in the form of an outcropping of briar along the bowl's flank, with this outcropping lending a touch of asymmetry to the form. A crisp, ruby-hued sandblast dresses this piece and highlights radiating growth rings across the stummel's flanks.