Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Friendship Pipe Tobacco Pipe

Lasse Skovgaard's portfolio ranges from fairly conservative classic shapes to wilder, eccentric examples with this Freehand Friendship pipe being a clear example of the latter.

The Danish carver's career began when he went to work for W.Ø. Larsen at age 18. He learned quite a bit from his father, Benni Jorgensen and from Teddy Knudsen, eventually branching out on his own and making quite a name for himself. That talent for crafting well-engineered, stylish smoking instruments is realized in this piece, which offers a number of appreciable. The stummel is solid, lengthy and bold with a concave rim that actually covers two separate chambers. Seen from above, the rim forms a distinctive "8" shape with the broad bowl itself slightly cinched in the middle of both right and left flanks. Again, when viewed aerially, the pinching is more prominent and resembles an hourglass. The entire underside of the pipe, including the two shanks, is covered in dark, extra-craggy plateau, the heel oval shaped and curling asymmetrically upward into the lower bowl.

Designed to be shared, given its appropriately named "Friendship" moniker, this pipe has two flaring, thick and irregularly shaped shanks, as mentioned previously. Two jet-black, slightly bent Churchwarden stems allow for the sharing of bowls, an innovative, unique, and playful convention.

This heavy, hearty pipe boasts plenty of surface area on which to admire its beautiful, resplendent grain. The stummel, even including the flaring shank ends, is engulfed in fiery flame grain, while the bowls' wavy rim is awash in flecks of handsome birdseye. It's all heightened by the artisan's smooth, auburn contrast stain for a pipe that is one-of-a-kind and highly collectible, not to mention shareable.