Danish Estates: Karl Erik Smooth Bent Brandy with Silver (3) (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

This bent Brandy from Karl Erik features a bit of added plumpness at the heel that works alongside the iconic lifting aesthetic signature to Danish shaping conventions, easily drawing the eye to the fore. It also features a fairly wide transition and a lifting, cylindrical shank that reaches out to meet a sleek saddle stem of black vulcanite at a junction wrapped with silver. The shank and stem are nicely poised for comfortable smoking, and they nicely balance some of the bowl's plumpness, its walls concealing a broad chamber. Dressing this piece is a warm, rich stain that unveils flame grain flowing around the bowl and lining the sides of the shank.

Karl Erik pipes started production around 1965, a few years after founder Karl Erik Ottendahl returned to Denmark from Kenya, where he had worked as a Lithographer after completing an apprenticeship. Unable to find work after his return, Ottendahl began selling pipes, drawing on his experience carving his own pipes in Kenya to craft pieces that would soon push his name into prominence. His production expanded in the late '60s and grew into a sizeable workshop, where he produced high-quality Danish Freehand pieces alongside a number of employees until 1990, when he began to carve pipes by himself again. Ottendahl remained a prolific and celebrated carver into the 21st century, but he passed away suddenly in 2004, his work remaining as a testament to his passion and commitment.