Only Yanik Would Carve Something Like This

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brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
9,791
15,302
Below are a couple of examples of his carving abilities. To be fully appreciated you would need to go to the pages and see all of the pics from all angles.

s-l960.webp

 

runscott

Lifer
Jun 3, 2020
1,209
2,697
Washington State
Below are a couple of examples of his carving abilities. To be fully appreciated you would need to go to the pages and see all of the pics from all angles.

s-l960.webp

Great stuff. Amazingly creative designs, and he finishes his pipes, like the European carvers did. Wonder why the other Turkish carvers stop short, even on simple designs?
 
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Apr 26, 2012
3,451
6,442
Washington State
Yanik is an amazing carver, but I've heard of some issues with his stem/mortise and draw on some of his pipes. I have a large straight apple of his, and it has a great draw, even after I broke it. :(
The pipe pictured isn't one of his best carvings, but he has plenty of others that are fantastic. I've always appreciated his work.
 
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Brig

Lurker
Jun 23, 2024
40
83
New England
The nude lady and the moon are a fairly common theme among modern-dau meerschaum artists, Yanik in particular has done several, though this is probably the most elaborate of ones I've seen with this motif.

Sadly, even the best carvers today pale in comparison to some of those churning then out in the Victorian era.
 
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Brig

Lurker
Jun 23, 2024
40
83
New England
I knew I had seen an antique piece of this design somewhere. This pipe is featured in Ben Rapaport's book "Collecting Antique Meerschaum Pipes: Miniature to Majestic Sculpture"

maninmoon.jpeg

Honestly, there's a lot of pipes in this book that are similar to a lot of Yanik's, and I suspect that he must own a copy and take lots of inspiration from it.
 

Brig

Lurker
Jun 23, 2024
40
83
New England
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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