Adam Davidson: Smooth Bent Billiard with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

While Adam Davidson's style often demonstrates his penchant for organically inclined and asymmetric designs, the American artisan's portfolio also exhibits his appreciation for shape chart standards. From his takes on the Prince, to the timeless Billiard, and even his signature Lorraine designs, Adam's skill with traditional forms is readily evident. That said, the bent Billiard is a shape we rarely see from Davidson but just upon looking at this example, you'd think this is the only shape Adam has fashioned throughout his career and perfected it. The bowl's lifting heel seemingly makes the stunning flame grain around the bowl more visually potent, rising from the birdseye along the base before meeting even more birdseye along the softly inflated rim. The bowl then smoothly transitions to an abbreviated shank that's extended by four knuckles of bamboo before terminating at the ever-so-slightly downturned saddle stem.

Adam's work with bamboo is some of the most iconic and innovative within modern pipe making, with his contributions to our annual American Pipemaking Exposition serving as welcomed reminders. This piece is comparatively more reserved compared to those aforementioned examples, yet still exemplifies Adam's perfectionist approach, the bamboo aesthetically pleasing and a functional aspect of the entire composition. The bumpy nodes around each knuckle provide a hint of rugged texture to an otherwise smooth piece, with a steel tenon adding reinforcement.