Danish Estates: Kai Nielsen Smooth Freehand (Jewel of Denmark) Tobacco Pipe

Son of Viggo Nielsen, founder of the Bari pipe factory, Kai Nielsen got his start carving pipes at a young age, working in his father's factory as a teenager before eventually becoming a full-time employee. After years of honing his craft, the younger Nielsen is now a celebrated artisan pipe maker, and he crafts many lively shapes in the traditional Danish style, with this Freehand being a particular striking example of his craftsmanship. Though labeled a Freehand, this piece most immediately brings to mind the Cutty shape, what with its dramatically canted, Egg-like bowl and fluidly bent shank-and-stem arrangement. Unlike the Cutty, however, this piece boasts some striking ridgelines, both around the bowl and along the shank, that add a bit of structure to the composition without overpowering the shape's dynamic, free-flowing stance. It's presented in a glossy, auburn-hued smooth finish that highlights expansive constellations of birdseye on the fore and aft side of the bowl.