S. Bang Smooth Egg (A) Tobacco Pipe

Per Hansen and Ulf Noltensmeier were the sole artisans employed by Svend Bang in his eponymous workshop for almost 50 years, starting in 1970 and producing pipes of superlative quality until their simultaneous retirement in 2019. As such, their work has now become extremely rare and, due to their exemplary smoking qualities and stunning beauty, supremely collectible, though, looking at this Egg, it's not hard to see why.

The Egg is a seldom-seen shape from the workshop, as the two artisans most often craft bent interpretations of the profile, making this Billiard-esque interpretation a rare and striking one. The proportions of this pipe are rather neoclassical in profile, with the bowl standing out as the visual center of the composition and immediately drawing the eye to the fore. The transition is wide, with ample space available to drape a digit if necessary, and it gives way to a slender, rather lengthy shank, whose reach is marked by an understated taper. This taper continues until the shank meets a slim stem of more swiftly diminishing black vulcanite, which enhances the bowl-forward aesthetic of this piece significantly. Up front, the bowl stands on a rounded heel, its supple shaping naturally giving way to sleekly tapering walls that make a pronounced, comfortable arc as they diminish toward the subtly domed rim. The bowl's supple, arcing walls and neat taper do well to emphasize its height, stylistically enhancing its nearly two-inch rise, while a subdued forward cant affords it a delightful bit of dynamism. Dressed in a warm, chestnut-toned smooth finish, the stummel showcases handsome grain throughout, with flame lining the shank and surrounding the walls of the bowl, while birdseye dapples the rim and underside.