Ken Dederichs: Smooth Cobra with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Germany-based, Japanese carver Ken Dederichs possesses a proclivity for fashioning organic, Freehand-like designs, and he often incorporates asymmetrical shaping cues and stylish accenting materials. The carver has a low annual production rate, prioritizing quality over quantity, so it's always a treat when we receive one of his new pieces. This Cobra is a particularly striking design that showcases Dederichs' masterful ability to marry stout proportions, supple curves, and crisp lines. The Cobra is defined by its dynamic, coiled posture, which here Dederichs accomplishes by sloping the fore of the bowl into the sharply defined heel. A wrapping ridgeline frames the curved fore and provides a touch of definition to the otherwise rounded, inflated contours of the bowl. The shank ebbs from the low-set transition and gives way to two knuckles of warm, organic bamboo, which liven the overall composition. From there, a slender, demurely curved saddle stem takes over and fosters a comfortable smoking posture. A smoky, walnut-hued smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights a constellation of birdseye across the fore of the bowl and licks of cross grain across either flank.