Viktor Yashtylov: Smooth Paneled Tulip with Boxwood (Magnetic Stem) Tobacco Pipe

Catering toward wild Freehand designs, marked by crisp panels and accenting facets, Viktor Yashtylov is one of Russia's most innovative and creative carvers, and this Tulip offering couldn't exemplify his work any better. Accentuating the floral motif is the tapered shank leading into a high-set transition, lending the bulbous bowl a perched-like orientation on the end. In profile, said bowl sits upon a rounded waist, tapering upward before flaring out suddenly at the rim. It's covered in striking panels that catch the light at different degrees for a vibrant presentation. The heel has been carved in one of Viktor's conventional, concave designs that call to mind a boat's keel when viewed head on, echoing the dipping nature of the rim above. The panels of the bowl continue through the shank which curls sinuously upward and is accented with a generous ferrule of boxwood, the pale, yellow hue of the the accent matching perfectly with the lighter tones of the stummel's contrast stain. It's all paired, then, with one of Yashtylov's proprietary magnetic stems, providing a unique, tactile aspect alongside the facets while also allowing the mouthpiece to be removed even while the bowl is still hot. Stunning, innovative work from Viktor.