Danish Estates: Karl Erik Smooth Bent Brandy (2SM) Tobacco Pipe

This bent Brandy by Karl Erik is replete with soft curves. A tall bowl stands upfront, formed by supple walls tapering from the broad, plump heel toward the subtly rounded rim, creating a figure with a comfortable presence in hand. The bowl joins to a sinuously curved shank and stem out back, the pair offering a comfortable smoking posture. Dressing the stummel is a warm, hazelnut stain that highlights handsome grain throughout.

Ever since he was a teenager, Karl Erik Ottendahl was immersed in the world of pipes, taking up pipe smoking at age 14 and beginning a lithography apprenticeship at age 16. It was during his apprenticeship that he started making his own pipes, a skill he would continue to hone later in 1962 while working as a lithographer in Nairobi, Kenya. There, his pipe-making skills proved especially handy, as pipes were hard to come by amidst the war-torn country. Upon his return to his homeland of Denmark, he continued making pipes on the side while looking for well-paying work, gradually making a name for himself and later establishing his own workshop.