Alex Florov: Smooth Discus with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Alex Florov was originally born in Moscow, Russia, and has spent the vast majority of his professional adult life working with both exotic and delicate materials, as he spent many years repairing museum-pieces for the Russian antiquities market. In 1992 he moved to Chicago where he started work as an industrial designer and, in 2004, was challenged by his father-in-law to make a pipe. The result of this was a pipe, of course, but also a legacy that has persisted since then and transcended the generations, with his daughter Dasha picking up the torch of her own accord not too long after her father started. Using mostly hand tools, Florov crafts pipes of exceptional quality, pipes wish a distinctly artistic flair.

The Discus is a rare shape, not just from Florov, but as a whole, this particular piece being one of the few we've ever seen and only the second example of the profile we've received from Florov. There's an incredible amount of asymmetry present in this pipe, something readily apparent at first glance, and this asymmetry results in an utterly singular silhouette that's reminiscent of both the Volcano and the Blowfish. Its similarities to the Volcano are mainly concerned with its broad base area at the bowl and the gentle taper that starts here and terminates at a forward-slanting rim. The rim here is a broad dome of briar that gently slopes forward, and its start is marked by a firm ridge, mirroring the underside's base and creating a wrapping panel of briar that runs the circumference of the bowl itself. The eye is drawn toward this area of the briar thanks to its unique shaping in comparison to the rest of the stummel, and its appearance is immediately evocative of the Blowfish, though if it were rotated 90 degrees. Both the rim and underside of the bowl are rounded outcroppings of briar that are wholly asymmetrical and exhibit an organic charm, the pair taking on a slightly ovoid shape that's tilted to the right as the pronounced ridgeline present on the underside pushes forward into prominence. A wide transition here gives way to a short, oval-shaped stretch of briar that's paired to an extended accent of horn, enhancing the reach of this pipe significantly and marrying to a stylized stem of black vulcanite. Said stem features an ovoid ring at its base that mirrors the shaping of the horn's domed face, both taking on a slant toward the right that balances some of the bowl's impressive visual weight. Dressed in a warm mahogany stain, the stummel here showcases stunning grain, with wrapping flame through the bowl's central panel and birdseye resplendent on the rim and underside.