C-Pipe Contrast Sandblasted Apple w/ Reverse Calabash Briar Pipe, New

Description

Not unlike certain 20th century Western pipe making institutions, such as Charatan, Pibe-Dan, or WO Larsen, a number of workshops in China have emerged in the 21st century filled with artisans working under a single banner. This includes GH Zhang, Qi Pipe Studio, and C-Pipe. With C-Pipe, however, there is something of a difference. Founded by former architect and lifelong pipe collector YiGang Wang, C-Pipe is a workshop of around a dozen artisans, most of whom originally came to pipe making from fields such as fine art and industrial design. While there are clear influences on C-Pipe’s output from various post-war schools, the workshop’s style is as varied as the individuals who work there. The resulting pipes reflect a synthesis of collective and individual creative endeavors, following a model closer to the ones pursued by Scandinavian post-war institutions, and which made artisan pipes what they are today.

In this instance, C-Pipe’s carvers have come up with a stubby and exceedingly stout apple shape, evoking both the more contemporary Danish masters, such as Nanna Ivarsson, and also a particular subset of artisans beyond the Scandinavian regions. Vladimir Grechukhin comes to mind, for example, or Xu Hai. One interesting addition this pipe makes is the inclusion of a reverse calabash in its broad shank, bringing it even closer to modern design trends. The finishing is an especially craggy black and tan contrast sandblast, with plenty of ring grain traversing the pipe’s bulbous body.

Details:

Length: 4.6″ / 116.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.36″ / 34.54mm

Weight: 2.5oz / 72g