Ken Dederichs: Sandblasted Bent Billiard Tobacco Pipe

Ken Dederichs is a Japanese-born artisan based in Germany, and he combines the pipe-making styles of his homeland and his current country of residence with Danish sensibilities to create pieces with muscular proportions and organic shaping. This bent Billiard is an excellent example of Dederichs' work, as it features both hearty, muscular forms and flowing, organic lines.

This offering's plump bowl is poised on the end of a subtly bowed shank with a long, sweeping saddle stem. The bowl's plump curves fill the palm nicely, lending the piece a satisfying in-hand presence without feeling cumbersome. Out back, the transition displays pronounced cheeking, further emphasizing the bowl's robust form. The shank rushes out from said transition, bowing gracefully before giving way to a long, subtly-downturned stem. The flowing curves of the shank-and-stem arrangement create a sense of fluid momentum that contributes to this piece's organic appeal. Further adding to this appeal is the stummel's crisp sandblast, which draws out every fine detail of the briar's rich grain and provides a stimulating texture for the hand to appreciate. The dark, smoky hue of this sandblast pairs perfectly with the traditional jet black hue of the stem, and together they culminate in a cohesive and highly elegant color palette.