Wandi Riyadi: Smooth Peewit with Horn 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 Peewit is a great example of that style, being a thoroughly traditional take on the classic Sixten Ivarsson shape that's elevated by subtly sophisticated accent work. The transition here is rather tight, though with enough room to drape a digit, and it gives way to a lifting shank that tapers softly as it reaches out to meet a flared, domed accent of horn. This horn accent's expansion to its face is smooth and rounded, and it's inlaid with a trim ring of brass that pairs the shank to a sleek stem of tapering black vulcanite via a sturdy push-mount. This stem is formed with a domed expansion ring at the base, which has been shaped to mirror the horn accent at the shank, creating a matching, stepped arrangement of domes that highlights the negative space at the junction and creates an implied taper throughout the accent and stem. While this combination at the aft side is delightfully slender, its wealth of subtle detail keeps it intriguing and balances the visual weight of the bowl nicely. Said bowl stands atop a pronounced heel, one which descends into a rounded spur while maintaining the easy undercurve of the shank. This heel supports walls that make a curvaceous flare out to the rim, the fore wall pushing out more prominently than the aft and offering a dynamic look while remaining impressively plump and comfortable in hand. The bowl is very slightly broader at the flanks than it is from fore to aft, and the subtle ovoid outline gives the stummel's warm, rich stain more room to showcase vast seas of birdseye: especially across the fore wall. The flanks of the bowl are lined with cross grain, guiding the eye toward the birdseye, and the tones of the briar are nicely contrasted by the black vulcanite stem and horn accent.