Danish Estates: Peter Hedegaard Smooth Brandy with 14K Gold Tobacco Pipe

Like many young pipe makers in 1970s Denmark, Peter Hedegaard got his start in the pipe world at the W.Ø. Larsen workshop, working alongside and under the direct supervision of some of the most talented burgeoning artisans in the country, including Teddy Knudsen and Hans "Former" Nielsen. After departing from Larsen, Hedegaard opened a workshop in Copenhagen, where he began carving pipes under his own name, though, finding the city too big for his liking, he moved to Helsingør, then to Frederikshavn, where he crafted his pipes until his untimely death in 2007.

This straight Brandy does well to showcase the more Danish classical side of his work, with a thoroughly traditional form, all in a package less than four and a half inches long. The weight here is quite light and, as such, this pipe should lend itself well to easy clenching despite being straight, its compact size allowing for easy travel and pocket carry. A trim, sleek saddle stem is paired to an arrow-straight shank via a junction that's here marked with a broad band of 14K gold, the accent material providing a vibrant dose of refinement to the composition. Up front, the bowl sits at the end of a wide transition that leaves plenty of room to drape a thumb, resting atop a rounded heel while its walls take on an arcing taper to the rim: the entire build playfully canted forward for added dynamism. The walls here are plump and comfortable in the hand and the aforementioned band of gold does well to offer contrast against the stummel's warm auburn stain, its hues unveiling dense striations of flame grain around the bowl.