Michail Kyriazanos: Smooth Horn Tobacco Pipe

Few shapes can highlight spectacular grain as well as the Horn. In this contemporary example from Michail Kyriazanos, the Greek carver steps beyond his signature interpretations of English classics and delves into Danish territory with a rendition of elegant, consistent curvature and sweeping panels. The panels feature horizontal grain as oriented against the ridgelines, tight and contrast stained, while the upper and lower sections reveal impossibly well-defined birdseye. The curve of this piece is particularly noteworthy, maintaining the curvature into the mouthpiece, which helps hold the bowl in a more upright position when clenched, rather than canting forward as it would with a stem recurved downward. At the rim we see a soft dome filled with horizontal grain and ridged in soft four-square form while maintaining an organic aspect. In line and profile it's a minimalist presentation, but simplicity like this is not easy and Kyriazanos has delivered another interpretation that will mesmerize fans of the shape.