Smooth Bent Brandy (Jewel of Denmark) (A) Tobacco Pipe

Kai Nielsen is the eldest son of Bari pipe factory founder Viggo Nielsen and started working at Bari for "pocket money" in his teens before joining the factory full-time in 1972, at the age of 21. Now a pipe artisan of many years in his own right, Kai's designs are thoroughly Danish, as is this bent Egg, which Kai awarded his elite designation: Jewel of Denmark. The "A" sub-grade further designates this as a particularly good Jewel of Denmark piece, second only to "X."

Kai coaxed some excellent flame grain out of the briar to decorate the stummel of this bent Apple and accentuated it with a smooth, glossy finish and a dark mahogany stain. Between the generous stretches of flame grain, birdseye coats the heel of the bowl and underside of the shank. The bowl has a well-rounded heel that follows an arc back to the shank face to seamlessly connect with the stem, while the walls of the bowl above the heel and top of the shank are typical of the Brandy in their tapered orientation. The shank upturns sharply into a lightly bent, half-saddle vulcanite stem that flares outward from its broad shoulders. The fluid shaping and fine finishing make this a great work of Kai's, sure to satisfy Brandy fans or fans of any great Danish pipe making.