Partially Sandblasted Blowfish with Horn and Juma Tobacco Pipe

Lv Zelong started smoking pipes as a hobby before taking up pipe making, eventually studying under Ping Zhan and Lan Zhenjun. Both of Zelong's fellow Chinese artisans remain major influences on his work, as do Tom Eltang and other Danish masters. Form and function consistently go hand-in-hand in Zelong's work, including this Blowfish.

Zelong put a considerable amount of work into making this Blowfish appear, well, like a blowfish. While the flanks of the bowl have elliptical profiles that puff outward (true to the shape's name), the shape of the bowl from above is quite fishy, so to speak. The flat face of the front of the sandblasted left flank and the smooth track of cross-grained briar that runs asymmetrically down the middle of the bowl combine to form most of the fish's "body," while a pair of spurs at the back of the bowl form the "tail." The smooth shank falls quickly back to a lengthy, flaring accent of horn capped with juma that holds the vulcanite stem, which tapers gradually back from a single expansion ring. It's a creatively imagined work by Zelong and will certainly be a coveted piece for fans of any iteration of the Blowfish.