Henri Sorensen: Sandblasted Acorn with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Like many artisan makers, Henri Sørensen entered the craft through his love of pipe smoking, a hobby he shared with his brother. Originally a glazier by trade, Sørensen had always held an affinity for old-school craftsmanship, so it didn't take long for the Danish carver to decide to make a pipe of his own. As a craftsman, Sørensen takes inspiration from Denmark's rich pipe-making history, with his work reflecting the tutelage he received from fellow carvers like Jens "Tao" Nielsen, Tom Eltang, and Lasse Skovgaard. That being said, Sørensen's pipe are distinctly his own, as each piece is imbued with the Danish carver's unique creative aesthetic.

A dynamic and sophisticated interpretation of the Acorn shape, this piece readily showcases Sørensen's unique accent work and dynamic shaping style. Tall and bulbous, the bowl here boasts a distinctive flare from its firm, rigid heel to its broad, rotund rim. Crisp panels along the heel lend some structural support to the bowl's flourishing build while providing a touch of contrast to the shape's otherwise supple form. A trim shank brings up the rear and quickly gives way to a ferrule of warm boxwood, which itself gives way to a demurely curved saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite. The boxwood extension features an angled face whose shape lines mirror that of the heel's, fostering a subtle visual harmony on either end of the stummel. Dressed in a ruby-hued sandblast, the stummel presents handsome fields of birdseye on either flank of the bowl.