Danish Estates: S. Bang Smooth Bent Dublin (PH) (05) (2007) Tobacco Pipe

Per Hansen and Ulf Noltensmeier were the sole artisans employed by Svend Bang in his eponymous workshop for almost 50 years, starting in 1970 and producing pipes of superlative quality until their simultaneous retirement in 2019. As such, their work has now become extremely rare and, due to their exemplary smoking qualities and stunning beauty, supremely collectible, though, looking at this bent Dublin from Per Hansen, it's not hard to see why.

While the bent Dublin is a well-represented shape in quite a few schools of pipe design, this particular iteration stands out rather strikingly, with Freehand shaping elements throughout the construction. Most notable among these is the bowl, which flares out dramatically from a sweeping heel expanding to a firm, high-set ridgeline just below the domed rim. The rim itself is lenticular in outline and its fore marks the start of a wrapping ridgeline that plunges through the fore, pushes through the heel, and outlines the underside of the shank, lending firmness in the hand and a compressed look to the bowl. Said bowl has been crafted with a supple bit of curvature near the rim, rendered with ample plumpness to keep the feel in hand comfortable. The shank itself lifts gently from a wide transition that leaves plenty of room to drape a digit, and it's been carved with a gentle cheeking through the flanks that does well to stylistically soften the briar near the bowl. There's an understated bit of languid curvature through the aft here thanks to the demure curvature of the black vulcanite saddle stem, the base of which is pointed at the underside to match the ridgeline pushing through the bottom of the shank. Dressing the stummel here is a vibrant, ruby-hued contrast stain that unveils a stunning array of wrapping flame grain through the circumference of the bowl and flanks of the shank, while the rim showcases a vast ocean of birdseye.