Kai Nielsen: Smooth Bent Billiard (VVVV) Tobacco Pipe

A second-generation Danish pipe maker, Kai Nielsen is the son of Viggo Nielsen, who helped found the marque Bari in 1948. Kai Nielsen often spent time around the workshop in his childhood, and began working there at 21 years of age. Over 50 years later, Kai Nielsen is still making pipes. Nielsen makes traditional shapes with a classic Danish style, evidenced by many of his pipe's gestural profiles and supple bowls. Few pipe makers have more experience than Kai Nielsen, and his lifelong skill is evident in each pipe he crafts.

This bent Billiard by Kai Nielsen incorporates a curvaceous profile into a compact pipe, measuring in at under five inches in length. The shank bends out of a broad, low-set transition and rises to a substantial extrusion on the stem, giving the thick shank-and-stem arrangement a hearty weight. Furthermore, two trim facets run along the sides of the shank-and-stem arrangement and then blend seamlessly into the bowl, adding definition to the profile and showcasing excellent craftsmanship. Perched at the fore, the soft curves of the bowl feel delightful clutched between two fingers, either along the plump waistline or further up the tapered walls. Additionally, the stummel is dressed in a dark chestnut stain, highlighting inky whorls of birdseye on the underside and fetching streaks of vertical grain around the bowl.