Danish Estates: Tonni Nielsen Smooth Bent Panel (Double Viking) Tobacco Pipe

Tonni Nielsen has had perhaps the best introduction to the world of pipe making that a person could ask for, starting work with W.Ø. Larsen at age 16 and, a few years later, mentoring under living legends Hans "Former" Nielsen and Teddy Knudsen. This incredible pedigree has given Nielsen a keen eye for detail, coming to regard every aspect of fit, finish, and shaping with the utmost care. That is reflected readily in this bent Panel, its sophisticated form the culmination of everything that Tonni has learned from his master teachers and his own experience in crafting high-quality artisan pipes, having earned his seldom-seen Double Viking grade.

Simultaneously structured and organic, this bent Panel boasts an impressively muscular form that's belied by a defined sinuousness and slight asymmetry. The transition here is wide enough to drape a digit, and it gives way to a semi-triangular, Diamond-shaped shank lined with five crisp ridges: two on either flank near the bottom and one on the top. This creates an extremely geometrical look, though it marks the start of a languid, continuous curve through the bottom which starts at the shank end and curves through the heel before rising at the fore. The stem here is a sleek saddle of black vulcanite whose base is accented with a broad accent of handsomely-grained hardwood that matches the shape of the shank exactly, while the stem's arcing bit offers a comfortable smoking posture. The impressively curvaceous shank and stem help to support the presence of the bowl, with said bowl standing out almost immediately as the visual center of the composition thanks to its robust substance. Boasting a hearty, low-set waistline and an arcing, Brandy-like taper to the rim, the bowl is lined with an octet of panels that lend this pipe an imposing presence in hand, something magnified by hollow carving through each of these panels' faces: an extremely rare shaping detail that's continued through the walls and partially into the heel. The rim here is gently sloped into the chamber, and it's possessed of a wavering, softly undulating outline whose asymmetry is subtly reflected by a gentle turn toward the right in the shank. Dressed in a rich, mahogany-hued stain and smooth finish, the stummel showcases a stunning array of grain, with flame surrounding the bowl and flowing through the slank, while the underside displays a bountiful field of birdseye.