Ken Dederichs: Smooth Acorn with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

I appreciate how Ken Dederichs approached this Acorn's boxwood accent, shaping it in such a way that marries it to the stummel compositionally and results in a cohesive design overall. In profile, the accent curls into a taper where it meets the briar, echoing the shank's same taper and creating a pinched aesthetic at the junction. The boxwood mount, then, flares accordingly toward the stem, mimicking the bowl's rounded flare, but the face is domed above the mortise, delineated by a crisp ridgeline — its subtle firmness aligning stylistically with the heel's pointed spur. The entire piece resembles an Acorn rendition we previously received from the Germany-based carver, on which he featured a similar boxwood accent. This example, however, opts for a broad, rugged crown of natural plateau, and the bowl is more squat and wide, but still dynamic in its forward-canted momentum. Dressed in a walnut contrast stain, the stummel's lighter hues match the boxwood's tones, and the design cues of the accent and all play off of the stummel's, melding together in a balanced work of art.