Wandi Riyadi: Smooth Bent Billiard with Ivorite Tobacco Pipe

Hailing from Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia, Wandi Riyadi is one of few artisans from the nation, inspired by the artistry of handmade pipes from carvers such as Bo Nordh, Hiroyuki Tokutomi, and Sixten Ivarsson. As such, Riyadi's work boasts an impressively Danish and Japanese-influenced style that values complex, organic detail, sophisticated structure, and rich curves. This bent Billiard is a unique interpretation of the timeless shape, showcasing an impressive sinuousness and a compressed build about its shank and stem combination. This combination of shank and stem curls out of an acute, subtly cheeked transition that emphasizes the bowl's curves and comprises an extended section of briar from the middle area to the heel. The shank itself comprises a tall, compressed, semi-ovoid shape that curls and tapers toward the stem, the entire underside framed by a pair of soft ridges that nicely contrast the domed outline at the top. A broad accent of Ivorite comprises the entirety of the stem base here, shaped exactly to match the shape of the shank, with the top line flicking up and slightly rearward to lend the combination an extremely dynamic silhouette. From out of this broad accent, a sleek taper of black vulcanite curves out and into a demure downturn, poising this pipe for comfortable smoking. Up front, the bowl stands on a sweeping heel and grows into a supple, low-set waistline that makes for a comfortable feel in hand, especially as the walls then take on an arcing taper to the rim. There are ample curves to appreciate throughout this pipe, but especially at the bowl, and these are all capped by a domed and chamfered rim, stylistically contrasting the understated ridges through the aft side of the pipe. Dressed in a warm, mahogany-hued stain, the stummel showcases handsome grain throughout, with a vast field of birdseye through the underside and a wrapping pattern of flame grain flowing through the shank and bowl.