Danish Estates: Sixten Ivarsson Smooth Potato Sack (1980) Tobacco Pipe

It's impossible to understate the importance of Sixten Ivarsson in the world of artisan pipe carving. The Danish carver was the very first to shape pipes according the patterns of the briar, creating a bespoke smoking implement from each block on a small scale, making each piece a work of art. Practically speaking, there would be no artisan pipe making without Ivarsson. His career spanned nearly 60 years before he passed away in 2001, his legacy was carried on by his son, Lars, and granddaughter Nana, both master carvers in their own right.

The Potato Sack is one of several shapes invented by Ivarsson, similar to his Peewit design, but with a more rotund profile that presses outward at the flanks. This example features a smooth, sloping rim atop the shape's characteristically curvaceous walls and downward jutting heel. Out back, an elongated round shank gives way to an impeccably sleek vulcanite saddle stem, ceding the visual weight of the design to the bowl and pinched transition. Dressed in rich walnut finish, the stummel displays tight cross grain at fore and aft, with swirling birdseye on the bowl's wide flanks. This rare gem is sure to occupy a seat of honor in any collection of fine pipes.