Bennie Joe Cavalier Sitter Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

Bennie Joe Pipes are made by Bennie Joe, an Indonesian artisan based in Jakarta. A trained architect and part-time pipe-maker for much of his life, he took on the latter full-time after a downturn in the property market during the dark days of 2020 and after. An interesting aspect of Bennie Joe pipes is that they are made primarily with hand tools, rather than many of the woodworking machines pipe-makers employ. While the chambers and draft holes are drilled, the body of the pipe is formed using hand tools, creating genuinely freehand shapes reminiscent of those made in mid-century Denmark. It should come as no surprise that one of Bennie Joe’s heroes is the late, great, Bo Nordh.

Along with the calabash, the cavalier is one of the oldest basic designs in tobacco pipe-making, with a lineage that can perhaps be traced back to the Tyrolean hunter’s pipe. Like the calabash, the cavalier has undergone a number of branching evolutions, including changes to the materials used in its construction. One can find, then, briar cavaliers from makes such a Dunhill or Caminetto that are different, but not too different, to the historical porcelain cavaliers of Tyrol; one can also find cavaliers from the likes of Japanese artisans Gotoh or Tokutomi that are radically novel approaches to that essential form. This one, from Bennie Joe, takes the latter route, though looking at it, I’m reminded more of the Danish schools than the Japanese ones. There’s a little bit of Sven Knudsen and his walrus shape, especially in the use of “feet” for balance; and there’s an even stronger semblance to Age Bogelund and his ingenious uses of ebonite. Even then, this pipe is its own thing, and a real treat to behold.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.73″ / 43.94mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g