Nikolay Kozyrev: Sandblasted Bent Brandy with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Within artisan pipemaking, mimicry is a form of flattery, with carvers fashioning shapes based on renditions of other carvers who they admire. In the case of Nikolay Kozyrev, the Russian artisan caters toward Danish pipemaking design, greatly respecting (like everyone else) the work of Danish master Jess Chonowitsch. In fact, when Nikolay worked in pipe repair, before becoming a maker himself, he received commissions to repair some Chonowitsch-made briars, introducing Kozyrev to the esteemed work of Jess.

Here, this bent Brandy is a take on Chonowitsch's rendition. The form is marked by an elegant bend that transitions seamlessly into the bowl's forward cant, the rim slightly tilted to accentuate the profile's momentum. Like Jess, Nikolay has kept the shank rather hearty and substantial, informing the lower bowl's mass. At the end, then, the Russian carver has fitted a mount of yellow-hued boxwood. The accent stands in stark contrast against the red-tinged, contrast-stained sandblast of the stummel, making for a striking color palette canvased over top the soft-lined shaping.