Chris Asteriou: Sandblasted Cutty with Silver Tobacco Pipe

Given his background as an architect and industrial designer, it's no wonder that Greek carver Chris Asteriou possesses such a masterful understanding of not just what makes a pipe beautiful but also functional. Asteriou is equally at home fashioning Anglo-French classics as he is crafting distinctive, highly sculptural smoking instruments, a testament to his creative range as well as his knowledge of pipe-making history. This Cutty finds the Greek artisan working in a more traditional mode, but it still possesses the stunning finishing work and vibrant aesthetics for which Asteriou is known.

The Cutty is an old pipe design, one that hearkens back to a time when pipes were made from clay instead of briar, and Asteriou has lovingly recreated the shape here, though without the pronounced heel spur often associated with the form. The bulbous bowl possesses expansive flanks and cants forward at the fore of an arrow-straight shank-and-stem arrangement. The reserved, slender build of the elongated shank and stem reinforce the dynamic stance and driving momentum of the bowl. A crisp, dark sandblast dresses the stummel and unveils rippling ring grain across the flanks of the bowl, while a sterling silver accent at the shank end and the gray hues of the vulcanite mouthpiece provide further visual appeal.