Sadly, even the best carvers today pale in comparison to some of those churning then out in the Victorian era.
Here's a prime example.
I bought this unsmoked Yanik cigarette holder/pipe on eBay a couple weeks ago from a seller. It's rather large, and I would suspect this was a $400-$600 pipe whenever Mr. Yanik sold it, given the prices he currently asks on eBay.
While Mr. Yanik can certainly carve, he struggles with faces, as it seems do most modern day carvers. I couldn't see the face well in the camera flash of the seller images, but as this size, I figured odds were good the face would have some good detailing. But alas, even the best carvers today seem to lack the skill of the carvers of yesteryear.
Notice the Yank pipe face besides a much smaller carved face on a pipe I received in the mail last week. Given the overall quality of the vintage pipe compared to others in my collection, I believe it to be a middle-tiered pipe, sold to those of middle to upper-middle class in the era. IMO, they're not even close in quality face details
If anyone's wondering, she's holding a flower, not a goblet. Lacking details there, as well.
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