Ken Dederichs: Smooth Acorn with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Ken'ichiro Dederichs-Uchida began his journey in Japan, later relocating to Germany where he produces fine pipes to the highest standards, prioritizing quality over quantity. His designs often reveal strong organic cues, referencing Japanese and Danish styles, with this fine bent Dublin being an excellent example.

A tour de force of organic shaping, this piece places its emphasis on the supple, rounded bowl, characterized by a palm-filling curvature that comes to a domed rim crowned with a ring of craggy plateau. The transition is heavily cheeked, giving the bowl's plump flanks further emphasis. Out back, a sleek round shank arcs gently upward, creating a full undercurve as it reaches toward a hand-cut vulcanite saddle stem accented with a slim band of boxwood, further commended by a comfortable bend. Dressed in a rich walnut stain, the briar itself is as excellent as its shaping, featuring a wealth of flame grain and birdseye interspersed around the stummel.