Wandi Riyadi: Smooth Bent Dublin with Horn (4710) Tobacco Pipe

Native to Indonesia, Wandi Riyadi initially carved out a career as an IT engineer before picking up pipe smoking in 2011. Entranced by the craftsmanship of handmade pipes, Riyadi soon carved out a new career, one as a full-time pipe maker. One of Indonesia's only artisan pipe-makers, Riyadi draws on the Scandinavian and Japanese greats for inspiration, primarily the Ivarssons, Bo Nordh, and Hiroyuki Tokutomi. Many of Riyadi's pieces showcase dramatic designs marked by arcing flutes and pronounced ridgelines, although he does possess an affinity for crafting traditional shapes as well. Furthermore, Riyadi dresses most of his pipes in smooth finishes that highlight spectacular grain, but also utilizes rustications to create pieces with craggy and intriguing textures.

This bent Dublin by Wandi Riyadi features one of his signature design cues, a deep, semi-circular flute. Here, said flute is positioned along the fore of the arcing bowl, extending along the walls as they flare from the pronounced heel to the broad rim. Riyadi adds additional shaping flare with a subtle ridgeline that is situated directly opposite to the flute on the bowl and a striking peak on the aft of the rim. Out back, a short shank rises upward at an acute angle and gives way to a flared horn accent, which has been reinforced with a metal tube in the airway and a subtle metal inlay that encircles the military mount mortise. The pressure-style tenon expands outward to a ring of vulcanite before the stem tapers to a slim bit that rises just above the height of the rim, allowing one to easily view the top of the chamber when initially lighting their tobacco.

Moreover, the stummel here is dressed in a vivid, chestnut-hued smooth finish that highlights a fetching combination of birdseye and cross grain. On the fore and aft of the bowl, tightly-packed swaths of birdseye mesmerize, they even rise to the rim, where asymmetrical downturns allow the whorls to creep onto the rim. In contrast, cross grain sweeps along the flanks, rising to the rim where they neatly separate the birdseye pattern. This one-of-a-kind bent Dublin by Wandi Riyadi provides a litany of textures, colors, and patterns to explore, something one will do often as they enjoy the exceptionally deep and capacious chamber.