Peterson: Aran Smooth Nickel Mounted (129) P-Lip Tobacco Pipe

We often discuss Peterson's signature aesthetic as being muscular and robust, with more visual weight placed on the shank and transition than, even, English-styled pipes. It's this design cue that most readily defines what's come to be known as the Irish style of pipe making. Peterson's "D" shapes, however, took a different approach. Originally produced for the Irish marque's Danish distributor, Larsen and Peterson, around 1996, the "D" line focused on traditional Danish shaping, creating shapes that are more slender and elegantly curved than the hearty Irish style of Peterson's other pieces. Said Danish style is epitomized here in the "129" — once designated as the "D6" — a form free of hard lines and whose curling profile tows the line between Horn and bent Dublin.

One of Peterson's most traditional finishes, the Aran presents a color palette of chocolatey stain and jet-black stem. In the smooth iteration, it highlights the briar's natural grain pattern with handsome reservation — not distracting from the form's shape yet, at the same time, offering enough definition and detail to remain intriguing and individual, accented here with a flashy nickel band to add some formal panache and elegant appeal.