C Kent Joyce Smooth Sitter Handmade Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Kent Joyce is an American artisan from Oklahoma. Originally a collector of high-grade smoking pipes, Joyce ultimately turned to making his own, taking inspiration from the masters in and outside of his personal collection. Along the way, he has studied in the creation of handmade pipes under influential American carvers, such as Premal Chheda.

From what I’ve seen, I really like C. Kent Joyce’s pipes. This one, however, I found really fascinating. Even just categorizing it as a particular shape is difficult, because it really is so unique. We could call it a “freehand,” but look at what’s been done with that freedom: the left side of the bowl features a channel that bends and tapers as it travels down towards the base; it also features a circular panel that looks almost like it’s been placed there so that a thumb can rest against it, providing better grip; on the right side of the bowl, a ridge has been carved that also curves as it flows toward the base; and, oddly enough, the left channel and the right ridge are positioned directly opposite one another, as if they embodied a force traveling from one side to the other. This is to say nothing of the pipe’s asymmetry. This “arrow” traveling across the pipe is at a distinct off-angle to the line that runs from button to rim, while the shank is conical, expanding as it reaches the beginning of the stem. The briar used might as well have been putty in Joyce’s hands. And the last thing that really excited me about this pipe? It’s a sitter. All of that painstaking hand-carving was done while maintaining a technical precision that would ensure that the pipe can stand on its own “feet.” Color me impressed.

By the way, this pipe is completely unsmoked.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.78″ / 45.21mm

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g