Wandi Riyadi: Smooth Acorn Tobacco Pipe

One of Indonesia's few pipe makers, Wandi Ryadi has established himself as an artisan of note, garnering an international audience of discerning collectors. His work takes inspiration from Japanese and Danish masters, like the Ivarssons, Bo Nordh, and Hiroyuki Tokutomi, though he crafts more conservative pieces as well. This Acorn is something of a middle ground between the stylized and conservative ends of Riyadi's shaping spectrum, offering the shape's signature elements with some slight embellishments.

Up front, a tall, full-bodied bowl stands atop a taut heel and grows thick, insulating walls that flare upward to a rim crowned in plateau. A wide transition marks the start of a flared shank that mirrors the growth of the bowl and expands out to join a demurely curved saddle stem. The openness of the transition provides ample room to drape a digit and offers a wealth of negative space, which allows each end of the pipe to be appreciated on its own merits. Dressing this piece is a smoky smooth finish that highlights a gorgeous showing of flame grain across the bowl's flanks.