Ken Dederichs: Sandblasted Bent Egg Tobacco Pipe

Germany-based, Japanese carver Ken Dederichs takes inspiration from Japanese and Danish pipe making and tends to craft rather organic shapes. He has the impressive ability to marry stout proportions with supple curves, resulting in rather distinctive pipes that are at once muscular and fluid. Dederichs' background in architecture undoubtedly informs his style, as his pipes are precisely rendered in both fit and finish. Prioritizing quality over quantity, Dederichs has a low annual production rate, so it's always a treat when we receive one of his new pieces, like this stylish bent Egg.

Tall and brawny, the bowl here stands proudly at the fore of the composition and features a subtle expansion across its waistline before tapering slightly to the rim. While the bowl is rather muscular of build, the shank-and-stem arrangement is decidedly leaner and rather fluidly bent. The shank snakes away from the low-set transition and marries a slender saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite, and together, they form a greatly subdued S-curve that encourages a comfortable smoking posture and provides the pipe's profile with a bit of sinuosity. At just a hair over five inches in length, this piece seems primed for easy jaw-hanging and on-the-go-smoking, especially when considering its light weight. A midnight-black sandblast dresses most of the stummel and coaxes out rippling growth rings across the surface of the bowl, while the rim is left smooth and stained a light color for a touch of contrast.