I have now seen many iterations of the Reverse Calabash from Russian maestro Michail Revyagin, but this is the very first Volcano that I have encountered. The composition is such a raving success, however, that I am surprised I have not seen more. One of Revyagin's most challenging and innovative design elements is to make the shank larger in volume than the bowl itself. It is something that the pipe community really had never seen before, but Misha executes it with such mastery that it proves to be a visual delight. It can be slightly off-putting, however, to the collector of more conservative forms. The enlarged shank is also how Revyagin is able to put an expansion chamber behind the bowl to cool the smoke before it enters the stem, which is the secret of the Reverse Calabash design. Here is your chance to own a more traditionally proportioned Reverse Calabash, with a shank that remains smaller than the bowl itself. The lines of this full bent Volcano are simply amazing. Take a peek at how the elegant upsweep at the front of the bowl is accentuated with a rim, which serves as the endpoint of the dramatic s-curve beginning at the stem's button. The rim also provides a visual separation between the immaculate straight grain above it from the heavenly birdseye underneath. Seriously, this grain is good enough to give the most hardened of collectors heart palpitations. There are many other subtle details at work here, such as the lining of the stem mount with Cumberland (it is invisible with the stem in place, serving as a nice surprise when the pipe is disassembled), and the slightly expanding width of the Mazur Birch inlay. And believe it not, this pipe will pass the cleaner test! The whole composition becomes even more amazing when one considers that the entire pipe was fashioned entirely by hand tools. Michael Revyagin is one of the most talented pipe makers of our time. His innovative designs are literally changing the game, forcing us to reconsider the limits of what is aesthetically possible. For Misha there are no limits, and the unbelievable pieces of functional artistry continue to trickle from his remote workshop. This is truly a remarkable pipe.

Eric Vitriol