Karl Erik Smooth Bent Brandy Tobacco Pipe

Karl Erik pipes started production around 1965, a few years after he 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. This bent Brandy is a plump and robust pipe that yet retains an appreciable degree of curvature. The transition here is wide and gives way to a softly flaring shank that lifts as it reaches for a demurely curved saddle stem of black acrylic. Up front, the bowl sits atop a rounded heel and grows to a plump waist, its low-set orientation giving way to tapering walls which rise to a rim crowned in organic plateau. Dressed in a warm walnut stain, the stummel here showcases handsome grain throughout, all with a timeless palette.