Kent Rasmussen: Smooth Billiard with Horn and Ivorite Tobacco Pipe

From most other Danish pipe makers, this Billiard shape wouldn't come as much of a surprise. In the context of Kent Rasmussen's portfolio, however, it's quite a rarity: A talented sculptor, architect, and artisan carver, obviously, Kent most often fashions Freehand-like designs, incorporating playful lines and rarely rendering classic pipe chart standards, with this being the first smooth-finished straight Billiard we've received from Kent. It's a beautiful take on the timeless form, incorporating conventional Danish shaping cues in the bowl's taper toward the rim, the slight lift to the heel, and Kent's shaping of the shank accent and stem base — the former being a blend of horn and ivorite, flaring into a disk to echo the base of the stem. The horn here is of particular note, having been cut to position with two swirling sections of lighter hue on each flank instead of the striated pattern typically seen in horn, the creamy hues complementing the pale color of the surrounding ivorite. While this piece is deeply rooted in the traditional Danish form, Rasmussen has made the transition a touch softer, lessening the cheeking about the lower bowl to keep the lines more gentle. It's all dressed, then, in a vivid, honey-blonde stain, highlighting the briar's gorgeous cross-cut grain pattern and allowing it to develop a patina as it's smoked, visually representing the years of enjoyment this piece is sure to provide.