Jess Chonowitsch: Sandblasted Bent Billiard Tobacco Pipe

A master craftsman, Denmark's native son and second-generation pipe maker Jess Chonowitsch has been making exemplary pieces for more than five decades. His father, Emil Chonowitsch, was certainly a great influence on the younger carver as he began his career, as was the legendary Sixten Ivarsson, under whom the younger Chonowitsch apprenticed. Jess is considered to be among the most influential, successful, and revered carvers in the world, having schooled others in the craft, and his new pipes are quickly scooped up by dedicated collectors worldwide.

A delightful amalgamation of superb engineering and thoughtful, artful design, this bent Billiard offers a supple, softly rounded bowl with a gradual taper to its inflated rim — a common design cue within Danish pipe making. Expounding upon the aforementioned Danish shaping aspects, Jess has paired the slightly forward-leaning bowl with its extended heel to a graceful, gesturally curling shank and gently downturned saddle stem, giving the one who's lucky enough to smoke it a comfortable clenching posture.

This pipe is dressed in a dark, grain-defining sandblast that boasts deep ruby tones, all the better to highlight the captivating, tight stacks of ring grain seen in abundance across the bowl. For textural contrast, Jess has smoothly stained the rim a complementing color. Refined, with a color palette that brings to mind those seen on early 20th century pieces of English and French origin.