Kai Nielsen: Smooth Paneled Bent Dublin (Jewel of Denmark) (A) Tobacco Pipe

Kai Nielsen is the son of the renowned founder of the Bari pipe factory, Viggo Nielsen. After spending much of his teenage years working in his father's factory, Kai began to work there full time at 21. It was at this factory where gained much of his sensibilities around the Danish style of pipe making as well as a plethora of artisanal experience. He has since accrued more than fifty years of experience and is now a well-respected artisan in his own right. Like many of his other pipes, this paneled bent Dublin from Kai Nielsen eschews many of the shaping standards that tend to define the traditional shape while still maintaining a Danish aesthetic.

Firm ridgelines throughout the pipe clearly demarcate four panels along the bowl and the shank. The fore wall of the bowl is taller than the aft wall, creating a slanted rim and forward urging motion in the bowl. This forward motion is counterbalanced by a graceful curve that underscores the pipe from the front ridge of the heel through an upturned shank punctuated by a demurely downturned stem. The aforementioned undercurve is made even more smooth and elegant by Nielsen's choice to flatten the underside of the shank, which along with the side panels and bottom ridgelines, contributes to the sleekness of the pipe's silhouette. When viewing the shank from an aerial perspective, one can see that it is wider than it is tall, and this thickness is continued into the half-saddle stem.

At less than five inches long, this pipe is a lightweight and compact piece, making it amiable to pocket carrying if so desired. The modest chamber is perfect for quick, on-the-go smoking sessions. A gorgeous auburn stain dresses the stummel, displaying rich rays of flame grain radiating from the heel throughout the bowl to meet subtle fractals of birdseye oscillating around the plump rim. Jewel of Denmark is Nielsen's grade used to specify his best works. Most pipes graded Jewel of Denmark are given a further sub-grade between "A" and "D," with this beautiful pipe having earned the prestigious "A."