Danish Estates: Jess Chonowitsch Sandblasted Bent Brandy Tobacco Pipe

Jess Chonowitsch is a name that is instantly recognizable in the realm of Danish pipe making, if not the greater pipe world as a whole, and is synonymous with superlative quality, exceptional shaping, and unparalleled smoking properties. This reputation has not been earned easily, and is the result of a career more than five decades in the making, getting his start repairing pipes for Poul Rasmussen before moving on to work at the W.Ø. Larsen workshop after Rasmussen's death. Rather than staying at the venerable firm, Chonowitsch found himself in the workshop of Sixten Ivarsson, the father of both modern artisan pipe carving and Danish pipe design and, after two years, after Chonowitsch learned the importance of mouthpiece design and fit and finish, he began making pipes in a small workshop together with his father, becoming an artisan in his own right.

This Brandy design is one that we've seen before from Chonowitsch, presenting with a muscular but compact look that emphasizes the shaping quite well by keeping the eye able to see much of its build all at once. Despite the dimensions here, Jess has managed to lend the bowl and shank a good deal of robustness, with a supple rounding of edges and a focus on crafting comfortable curves that not only affords this piece an excellent feel in hand, but gives the impression of softness about the briar as a whole. Not only this, but there's a keen visual balance that has been imparted into this pipe, with the shank's length being slightly extended, though the tapering outline of this extension, which runs through the stem base, keeps the aft looking quite sleek. This ensures that the visual weight is kept forward, toward the bowl though centered on the transition. Said bowl is wonderfully supple and nicely rounded, with ample curvature for the fingers to appreciate when exploring its low-set waist and taper to the rim. The taper is aided in its visual prominence by a dynamic forward urge that poises the bowl in lively, active fashion. Dressed in a crisp, dark sandblast, this pipe showcases some handsome grain throughout its stummel, with rippling growth rings surrounding the bowl, while a vast sea of birdseye covers the underside.