In the Sherlock Holmes saga of ‘The Naval Treaty”, we find the rarely enigmatic sleuth observing; ‘ Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.’ Like most Holmesians, when I hit that soliloquy I had a mental ‘wth?!’ for about a second, shrugged it off and kept on reading. Upon laying eyes on this singular, Slonim grade Pierced Calla Lily from Master Alex Florov, Sir Arthur’s prose returned to mind and became intertwined with this masterpiece on manifold levels.

By the arrival of 2009’s CPCC, Alex had already earned a spot in my ‘World’s finest carvers’ mental alcove. Even so, upon the presentation of his Pierced Water Lily, created as homage to Hiroyuki Tokutomi, the startling beauty and intricacy of the piece found me holding my breath (and I would venture that every observer in the room had the same reaction). To my mind, if you will pardon the sport’s metaphor, it was like watching an established Olympic sprinter shatter the standing 100 meter record by three seconds… incredible.

The smokeable art before you is only the fourth Pierced Calla Lily ever created. The first Calla rests in Peter Heeschen’s home, numbers two & three are centerpieces within the collection of two, highly esteemed and published pipe men. Though all of the aforementioned briars are members of a family, each boasts a fine individuality within the overarching shape umbrella. The initial impression of this piece is that of an art nouveau calla that fashions a seemingly effortless grace within a delightful elongation. All of the best Florovian signatures are in play here; a multitude of smooth bevels which travel from rim to mount with the languor of an arcadian stream, the astonishing reverse curl of the mount, wrought with an exacting proximity to the body that beggars belief. Much like the Holmesian rose (you knew I had to return to that), this briar gives many ‘extras’ beyond the bounty of the macro form. Indeed, a myriad of worlds unfold from a variety of viewing angles, to the discerning eye. This masterpiece morphs from a lovely calla at the side view, to a deft display of Zen Moderne from the top perspective and a (dare I say it?) martial spear presents when observed from the bottom. Embellished with pre-ban ivory and finished with a cumberland stem, this briar doesn’t merely affirm Alex Florov’s place amongst the world’s great pipe makers, it advances it. Highly recommended

Bear Graves