Neerup: P. Jeppesen Handmade High Grade Smooth Freehand Tobacco Pipe

This piece by Peder Jeppesen, who carves under the Neerup name, is part of the Danish artisan's Handmade High Grade line, composed of pipes that are handcrafted at every step by Jeppesen. These pipes are Neerup's most premium offerings and showcase a wide array of designs, with a focus on wild Fancy Freehands, often dressed in Jeppesen's signature contrast finishes.

This Freeand showcases Jeppesen's penchant for whimsical, organically inclined shapes. The raised, forward-surging bowl possesses a lifted heel that comes to a sharp, pronounced point at the fore. The broad, steep transition lends further visual prominence to the bowl while the broad, flared shank rapidly curves to the right, creating a sense of visual dynamism at both ends of the stummel. Typically, plateau is employed at the rim or heel of a pipe, but Jeppesen has shaped this design in such a way that the plateau runs across the entire left side, following the curvature of stummel until it terminates at the shank face. An abbreviated saddle stem of multicolored acrylic tops off the design, complementing the rich contrast stain that dresses the stummel in rich walnut and ochre hues.