Alex Florov: Smooth Pierced Fish with Ivorite (Slonim) Tobacco Pipe

A creative force within the world of pipe making, Alex Florov crafts stunning designs from his workshop just outside of Chicago. While many artisan's portfolios are typical favor traditional designs punctuated by freehand shapes, Florov's œuvre prioritizes artistic and one-of-a-kind designs — each one singular and indicative of the Russian-American's boundless creativity and superlative craftsmanship.

Florov's "Slonim" stamp is reserved for only his most superlative pieces, and it shares a name with his wife's maiden name — a reference to Florov's father-in-law challenging him to make a pipe in 2004, initiating Florov's transition from furniture restoration to artisan pipe making. This particular Slonim piece is a stunning Pierced Fish design, defined by a hardwood shank piercing the stummel's "tail" and entering the lower bowl.

The bowl itself is a typical Blowfish, featuring a central panel that divides bulbous flanks of beautiful birdseye. As is standard for the Blowfish, this rendition showcases substantial asymmetry: the bowls central panel widening toward the transition and curving leftward to the bowl's for. Florov has continued the bowl's characteristic ridgelines into a sprawling tail behind, curving opposite the bowl's central panel to imbue the composition with a dynamic sinuosity — as if swimming through water. Dressed in a rich walnut stain, the grain is wonderfully framed by Florov's line work, and the hardwood spear is tastefully capped with Ivorite before transitioning into the hand-cut vulcanite stem.