Smooth Flower Horn with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Called the Flower Horn, this Tonni Nielsen shape begins with the template of the traditional Horn; however, by running a creased panel along the side of the bowl (here, its right side) and near the underside of the shank, the carver has produced a form that instead resembles a pistil blossoming from a flower petal. All the lines here are deftly soft and rounded, the result of which is an extremely fluid and organic composition. The absence of any kind of accent or adornment further implies a sense of natural, organic minimalism.

-- Ted Swearingen