Pisces

The latest of the Bekler abstracts. I felt this one had an aquatic vibe, and in keeping with the 1970s theme of my other pipes' titles, this became Pisces. Importer Golden Horn, the second major importer to carry Ismet Bekler's carving talent (after Royal, before CAO) got his earliest signed pipes. This one is unsigned and probably very early in his production for them, likely 1973 or early 1974. Smooth, with innumerable curls, cuts and facets and has three decorative holes, it has been well-smoked and is coloring beautifully. How am I sure it's Bekler's work? Besides having a case label (see below), absolutely no other carver ever made abstracts that looked anything like Bekler's, although several did carve freeform meerschaums.

 

One unique aspect to Golden Horn is that most pipe cases carried not only a Golden Horn label reading "Finest Quality Genuine Block Meerschaum Golden Horn" and their logo, a blocky 70s "G" with the inner opening in the shape of a calabash pipe, but also a second label which had their logo and a printed title. Many models had official names and a matching custom label; there were even labels for plain pipes, marked "small," "medium" or "large." Bekler's had larger labels, printed as shown: "Exclusively by Golden Horn Genuine Bekler," followed by one of four designations. Limited editions, often faces, had the "Collectors' Special" label, and might also carry a round label printed with a number. Bekler's unique castle pipes were labeled "Mystery Castle." A series of windswept Middle Eastern bearded faces, often incorporated into abstract forms, were "Imperial Heroes." Pure abstracts, such as this one, had labels bearing the appropriate title, "Beyond Imagination." Bravo!

Done