Could there be a Danish-Retro Revival on the Horizon?

Danish-Retro Dublin by Alex FlorovShare

It has been just over a month now since the 2010 Chicago Show occurred. In the intervening month I have given a lot of thought to a question that is, for me, one of the most important questions any collector considers: “Where is pipe design and shape language going next?”

Calla Lily Pierced by the Artist’s Brush by Alex FlorovOver the last five years there have been any number of fashionable movements inside the artisanal pipe world. Since Kei Gotoh’s initial inspiration, we’ve seen a plethora of bamboo-pierced pipes with shapes ranging from flowers to sea creatures.

We’ve seen a number of variations on Bo-Nordh themes, too – nautiluses, horns, Ramses, sphinxes, and lately Swedish tomatoes. Likewise, as Jess Chonowitsch pipes have become scarce and precious, a number of artisans have borrowed his shape language, and signature flourishes, as well.

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The Streamliner Blowfish

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The Origins of the Commission

Todd Johnson’s first Art Deco Blowfish, Photo by Todd JohnsonEarly last November I was surfing the web looking at various pipe sites when I stumbled across the Deco Blowfish (pictured at right) that had recently been made by Todd Johnson. I must have spent a half hour poring over that pipe.

I’m rarely an impulsive pipe-buyer. As a matter of fact, I drive sellers and makers crazy with my wishy-washy, indecisive ways when I’m considering buying a pipe. I’ve wondered at times why I get buyer’s remorse before buying a pipe, but that’s another post. Suffice it to say that more than one artisan has grumbled about this with good reason.

Todd Johnson’s first Art Deco Blowfish, Photo by Todd Johnson

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Mysteries of the Sphinx

Updated on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 5:59PM by Neill Archer Roan

Updated on Friday, May 14, 2010 at 7:43AM by Neill Archer Roan

Sphinx by Alex Florov, Marble and Petrified Wood Stand by Martin Romijn. Image © 2010 Neill Archer Roan

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Of those inspired pipe shapes that have been invented over the last 25 years, none has fascinated me as much as the Sphinx, a shape created by the legendary Swedish pipe artisan, Bo Nordh. Someday, I hope to acquire a Nordh sphinx, though certainly both the availability of these pipes and the cost will stand as barriers.

Artisan Alex Florov, Image © 2010 Neill Archer RoanIn the meantime, I happily added the above-pictured Alex Florov sphinx to my collection at the last Chicago show. It was some three years ago that I learned that Alex shares my fascination with the Sphinx pipe shape. The one you see depicted above is the third sphinx that Florov has made. I had the opportunity to acquire the first, but the timing wasn’t right. The second is one of four astounding pipes (Ramses, Scarab, Sphinx, and Nefertiti) in an Egyptian set that Alex was commissioned to create by the New York collector, Eugene Smolar–a set that may be the most heartbreakingly beautiful pipe set that I have had the privilege to see. The third is now in my collection.

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Constant Craving

Chubby Billiard by Alex Florov, Image © 2010 Neill Archer Roan

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Some pipes are better smokers than others. Any experienced pipe smoker knows this, but I haven’t met anyone yet who can explain why this is true. It is a source of constant inquiry for me since every smoking experience seems to act as a reminder of the truth of this observation.

There is a discussion thread over in the Smokers Forums’ Common Sewers right now that is focused on the idiosyncratic impact of briar quality on how a pipe tastes when it is smoked. My friends Fred Hanna and Greg Pease have both concluded over the years that it is the briar itself – more than engineering or design – that influences just how good a pipe tastes when smoked. I confess that I’m not sure. Not that they are incorrect in their observation. The briar itself may be the difference that makes a difference. On its surface, it makes sense, but how do you prove it? How do you disprove it?

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Pipe No. 47

Updated on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 12:45PM by Neill Archer Roan

Turtle by Maigurs Knets, Image © 2010 Neill Archer Roan

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You see depicted above a Turtle by Maigurs Knets. Think about this: this is the 47th pipe that Maigurs Knets has made. While you’re only looking at pictures of the pipe, I’ve held it and it blows me away. The size, proportions, curvilinear complexity, workmanship, color, balance, weight, and materials choices come together in exquisite union.

When I took this pipe from its bag, I realized that I was holding a pipe that I would truly treasure among those other bright stars in the constellation that comprises my collection. When I saw this pipe, I physically felt my lungs expand. I’ve had beautiful things take my breath away, but I can’t recall having one create a sensation of oxygen rushing my heart.

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