Sandblasted' Fig with Horn (4315) Tobacco Pipe

Formerly known as the American Pipe Making Exposition, our annual Global Pipe Making Exposition features contributions from some of the world's foremost artisans, all united around a central theme. One of the most exciting events of the year for carvers, smokers, and enthusiasts of briar alike, the Global Exposition acts not only as a showcase for the immense talent of these artisans but as a focus for the boundless creativity that these masters of the art possess. For 2026, the theme of our Expo is "The Art of the Sandblast," celebrating the artistry and craftsmanship behind one of the most meticulous finishing techniques in pipe making. Through the sandblast, these artisans transform the natural grain of briar into textured works of art, highlighting the unique character of each block and demonstrating the artistry of the technique.

Indonesian artisan Wandi Riyadi has presented us with an intriguing offering for this year's Expo, staying true to the theming while finding a unique and playful perspective that makes his piece stand out sans ostentation. Shape-wise, this pipe is a trim, sleek-lined Fig with an agile, active stance, one with no shortage of organic charm to appreciate both on the rack or while smoking. A flattened heel supports the bowl and allows this pipe to sit if set down carefully, the flat plane working as an excellent starting point for the walls to begin their broad expansion to the rim. These walls are possessed of ample plumpness, especially at their broadest point, with the fore and flanks displaying some comfortable curvature at the midsection as well, the overall silhouette like something of an inverted mushroom cap. There's a very slight dip at the rim on either flank of the bowl, enhancing its naturalesque appeal and underscoring a subtle dip at the chamber's edge, just before a slight chamfer that should make loading tobacco an easier task. A tight transition pairs the bowl to a short, gently curving shank that tapers slightly as it reaches out before its diameter becomes consistent, just in time to meet a similarly arced length of horn that expands as it pushes out to the stem. Riyadi has beveled the very edge of this horn accent and inlaid its face with a trim brass band, creating a stable and stylish pressure mount that connects the shank to a sleek saddle stem of black vulcanite. This stem makes a subdued downturn through the bit for a more comfortable smoking posture, and its base is outfitted with a crisp expansion ring: highlighting some negative space at the junction to balance the visual weight of the pipe, wresting some back from the bowl.

The finish of this pipe is one that's as striking as it is captivating, and for a multitude of reasons, all of which keep the eye tracing the details present on the stummel. Rather than dressing this piece in a straightforward sandblast, Riyadi has instead treated the pipe with a combination of painstaking carving and blasting that dramatizes the presence of the stummel's grain significantly. It's not just the finish that loads this piece with intrigue, however, but the orientation of the grain as well. Rather than carve and blast the pipe with stacked growth rings flowing down the walls of the bowl, Wandi has instead oriented the briar so that the growth rings emanate from twin patches of birdseye on the fore and aft of the bowl. The effect is such that the grain ripples from end to end, creating a great deal of unique texture to appreciate and cultivating a look that is positively unmistakable. While this pipe is both carved and blasted, Riyadi has taken an enormous amount of care to line up the carvings with the natural grain of the briar, the smooth heel revealing visible rings that line up almost exactly with the deep, vertical grooves wrapping around the bowl's flanks. The birdseye patches reveal small, blasted peaks of the grain, and the layered waves cresting across the briar are streaked with flickering tendrils of visible flame. More flame is present through the shank, its end and underside finished smooth, and the look of this flame is extended through the horn accent, the piece that Wandi appointed this pipe with boasting extremely tight-knit striations that run from end to end.