Danish Estates: Former Smooth Canadian 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. He began making pipes in Poul Rasmussen's workshop at the age of 15, and quickly rose to prominence with an eye for detail and fine workmanship — later supervising the W.Ø. Larsen workshop and, then, creating his own workshop. This Canadian secures his reputation once again, with a sleek, lengthy profile that fits nicely within the Danish tradition.

A fairly lengthy piece, the stummel aptly showcases the iconic build of the Canadian, with a wide transition that gives way to a subtly tapering, ovoid shank paired to a sleekly tapering stem of black vulcanite. The shank's extended stretch of briar balances some of the visual weight of the bowl, though its slight compression from the top slenderizes the look of the silhouette significantly and pushes a bit more of the visual weight toward the bowl. Said bowl stands atop a rounded heel and boasts a low-set waistline that marks an arcing taper to the rim, this travel marked by supple contours that keep the feel in hand comfortable. A slight forward cant possesses the bowl's build and adds a bit of understated dynamism to the composition that keeps things interesting. Dressed in a warm, rich stain and smooth finish, the stummel showcases a wealth of handsome grain, with flame through the shank while ample birdseye covers flanks of the bowl.