Former: Smooth Bent Apple Tobacco Pipe

Hans "Former" Nielsen is a venerated legend in the world of pipe making, having been hard at work at his craft for over 60 years. The Danish artisan began learning beside other legends such as Sven Knudsen and Poul Rasmussen. He eventually moved on to work at W.Ø. Larsen, honing his skills and supervising other talented carvers, before striking out to make pipes that bear his own name. His style is marked by the supple curvature and soft lines that mark a great many of the pipes that come out of the Danish school of design. All of those features are easily observable in this bent Apple.

This bent Apple is fetching design that pairs a broad, thick-walled bowl to an upturned shank and a demurely curved saddle stem. Said bowl flares from its plump, pronounced heel to its broad waistline, before then tapering toward its taut, chamfered rim. This distinctive taper imbues the bowl with a supple curvature that conforms naturally to the hand. Out back, the shank flares out of the transition and draws the eye to the aft side of the composition, where the stem tops things off and promotes a comfortable smoking posture. A gorgeous, contrast-stained smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights a truly fetching showing of flame grain across the bowl's flanks.