Danish Estates: Former Smooth Billiard with Silver (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Hans "Former" Nielsen is a living legend — a Danish pipe maker who has honed his craft for over sixty years and earned worldwide renown for creating fine smoking instruments. Former's reputation for perfection precedes him, and his shaping style showcases a carefully considered artistry and extremely clean line work, marrying refined aesthetics to internal engineering that guarantees phenomenal smoking every time. Former's takes on the Billiard are about as timeless as can possibly be crafted, and this example is no exception, displaying an easy compositional balance and exceptionally refined proportions. The transition is wide and slightly obtuse, with some subtle cinching at the flanks that emphasizes the plumpness of the bowl without being fully cheeked, and it pairs the bowl to a straight, cylindrical shank out back. This shank maintains a consistent breadth and is capped with a band of silver at its junction to a slender, black vulcanite saddle stem, one whose willowy bit keeps the visual weight of this piece rooted at the stummel. Up front, the bowl stands on a rounded heel, its walls taking on a slight expansion to a low-set waist that additionally denotes the Danish Billiard's iconic, subdued bit of taper to the rim: here a softly domed structure that overlooks a respectable chamber. The contours of the bowl make for a comfortable feel in hand, complete with ample roundness, and it provides plenty of space to showcase the stummel's vibrant contrast stain: revealing flickering streaks of flame grain wrapping around the bowl and lining the shank, while birdseye covers the underside.