Viktor Yashtylov: Smooth Acorn with Olivewood (Magnetic Stem) Tobacco Pipe

Though he sometimes accents his pieces in crisp facets, Viktor Yashtylov almost always fashions rounded, organically inclined forms, marked by sweeping gesture, fluid curves, and bulbous shaping. This Acorn is one such piece, forgoing any sense of architectural panels to prioritize a highly natural, affably supple form. The bowl's forward cant and gently rounded, concave rim are handsome and striking; however, it's the shank that demands much of the attention. Sinuous and elongated, its curve is matched beautifully by the stem's recurve, making for a coherent, concrete composition.

Most commendable is how the Russian carver has tapered the shank toward the bowl — making for a trim, high-set transition that accentuates the bowl's roundness and poises it on the end, like a fruit hanging from a branch, and gives way to the tapered heel spur below. The shank's flare is continued through the olivewood accent on the end, the light tones of the mount matching well with the brighter hues of the stummel's contrast stain. Furthermore, the olivewood mount and the stem's tenon feature Yashtylov's proprietary magnets — an innovation that secures stem to stummel without a tenon/mortise arrangement, providing a snug, seamless fit that won't loosen over time. Finally, the briar displays a perfect cross-grain orientation, with the flanks studded in tight-knit birdseye.