Danish Estates: Anne Julie Smooth Billiard Tobacco Pipe

Anne Julie is a legend in the history of Danish pipe making, most recognized through her unique and easily identifiable designs, designs that have earned her a dedicated following over the years and that usually manifest as bold, florally-carved interpretations of classic shapes. This Billiard is a departure from that style, being a stout, yet decidedly Danish interpretation of the timeless profile, with a good deal of thickness present through its bowl. The transition is wide, with an extremely subtle cinching near the edges that's not quite cheeking but still emphasizes the contours of the bowl, and it gives way to a rather trim shank that reaches out to meet a slender saddle stem of black vulcanite. This comparative slimness through the aft side keeps most of the visual weight on the bowl, with said bowl standing atop a nicely rounded heel and growing robust walls that taper gently toward the chamfered rim and cant forward dynamically. Dressed in a warm, rich, smooth finish, the stummel is stained a deep chestnut tone, revealing an array of flickering flame grain around the bowl and through the shank.