Misc. Estates: Bjorn Bengtsson Smooth Billiard (1286) (1986) Tobacco Pipe

Swedish artisan Bjorn Bengtsson is a supremely talented carver that was trained by Poul Rasmussen and worked out of Anne Julie's workshop. He eventually established a workshop in his native country of Sweden and began producing handsome pipes like this fetching Billiard. With its sleek line work. subtle contours, and minimalist appearance, this piece offers a thoroughly Danish profile, which displays a rounded, Brandy-like bowl set to an oval shank and a sleek tapered stem. The reduced diameter of the shank and stem keeps the overall form lightweight and streamlined, while drawing the eye to neat, slightly cheeked transition and the bowl's wide heel. A smoky smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights some tight-knit streaks of flame grain across the flanks of the bowl, its chestnut hues complemented by the stem's jet-black color.