Nanna Ivarsson: Smooth Acorn with Moose Bone (0622) Tobacco Pipe

Affirmed by the stunning aesthetics and exceptional engineering that come from years of experience, Nanna Ivarsson pipes are revered industry wide as some of the best pipes in the world. Her grandfather Sixten is regarded as the pioneering figure of artisan pipe making, and her father Lars was celebrated among the top carvers in the craft. Now, Nanna elevates the Ivarsson family's reputation. She spent time in her grandfather's workshop at an early age, honing her craftsmanship acumen and developing a distinctive design style that merges classic Danish shaping cues and distinctive Ivarssonian elements with her own artistic vision.

This Acorn pipe as a whole caters to the Danish pipe-making aesthetic — often marked by soft lines and gentle curves — but her handling of the shank and stem reflects elements that have become synonymous with her work and that of her father's. While not one of her signature long-shanked designs, this piece still highlights a shank that tapers gradually toward the transition and flares in an upward curl toward the stem. Here, a wedding band of moose bone disrupts the shank's lines for an accenting touch, but the domed stem base continues the shank's trajectory, capping it off before diminishing into the hand-cut mouthpiece's subtle downturn. This downward curve perfectly balances the shank's arc, and the domed stem base — a typical cue across Nanna's portfolio — does well to match the bowl's softly rounded rim.

Accentuated by the shank's taper, the bowl here dominates the visual profile with a tall stance and forward-canted demeanor. This cant continues the dynamic momentum initiated by the shank and stem, such fluid lines belying the bowl's robust and muscular shaping. Furthering this forward-urging posture, the chamber is oriented more toward the bowl's fore, leaving more briar at the aft and emphasizing the fore line's sloping curve down toward the subtly pointed heel. Immaculate grain impresses across the entirety of the stummel: Flame grain engulfs the bowl, with birdseye dotting the rim, and the angle of the vertical grain along the shank is beautifully maximized by Nanna's shaping of the shank, its angle following the trajectory of the grain. It's all dressed in a rich, mahogany stain, the lighter hues complemented by the pale accent of moose bone at the shank end.