Eclesias Contrast Sandblasted Opera Squat Tomato Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

To call Pavel “Eclesias” Holub “inventive” would be an understatement, just as it would be to call him “versatile.” His “Dragon Scale” sandblasting, for example, as seen on the nosewarmer listed alongside this pipe, puts him alongside figures such as J.T. Cooke in his willingness to push the boundaries of the finish. In this instance, Holub has opted for a lighter touch, foregrounding instead its sublime, fiery contrast stain. But it is not only in finishing where Holub excels. There are whispers of the “squat tomato” shapes of Italian artisans such as Gamboni or Cavicchi, or Danes such as Lasse Skovgaard or Peter Heding, in the low-slung form of this pipe, but there are also reminiscences of the “Vespe,” or “wasp” shapes of Wolfgang Becker in its bulbous “abdominal” shank region. But perhaps the most innovative aspect of the pipe is its chamber. As we’ve seen with contemporary artisans such as J. Mouton, the opera shape is having something of a revival, albeit in new, distinctly artisanal forms. With this tomato/wasp hybrid, Holub has thrown his own hat in the ring, adding an ovaline chamber that pushes the design even further into the avant-garde.

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 1.02 / 25.90mm

Bowl Depth: 1.24″ / 31.49mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 62g