Smooth Volcano with Bamboo (13) Tobacco Pipe

With such a strong line created by the concave front wall, and a large share of visual weight taken up by the extra tall Volcano bowl, the job of balancing the rest of the composition was never to be an easy one. Li Zhesong though, is more than equal to the task, moving quickly from the short, thin shank into a quite stout two knuckle piece of bamboo, likewise thick stem base, and a saddle stem that's a bit meatier than we generally see from the Chinese carver. Something of a recurring theme in Li's work, negative space also plays a large roll in balancing the arrangement.

- Adam O'Neill