Nanna Ivarsson: Sandblasted Fish (0320) Tobacco Pipe

This particular rendition of the Fish has become a staple within Danish pipe design, and its roots trace back to Sixten Ivarsson's earlier students, most notably Lars Ivarsson. Lars' daughter, Nanna, now one of the world's preeminent artisan makers, offers her own interpretation of the famous shape, retaining its defining shaping cues while adding subtle individuality — all imbued with the sublime craftsmanship and finishing techniques of a skilled pipe maker.

Most characteristic of the Fish is its shank's teardrop cross section, resulting in a ridgeline down one flank. Sometimes carvers will terminate said hard line at the transition, while others, like Nanna often does, will continue the ridge through the bowl. She's done that in this particular example, shaping the ridgeline to both follow the bowl's curvature as well as contrast its firm rigidity against the bowl's supple lines. While previous renditions we've seen from Nanna have featured Egg-shaped bowls, this one opts for a Ball-like presence, devoid of much taper toward the rim and prioritizing a full-bodied, palm-filling disposition. Said roundness is accentuated by the tight transition and cheeking about the lower bowl, and that tightness results in quite the compact overall size. Dressed in an earthy stain that displays subtle contrast, this pieces wears a tasteful sandblast, accented by smooth-polished briar along the rim and shank face, with a raised brass ring around the mortise to provide stability and offer elegant flash.