Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Volcano Tobacco Pipe

Lasse Skovgaard is the son of renowned pipe maker Benni Jørgensen, giving him something of a pedigree, as well as large shoes to fill, a task which he took to almost immediately, being interested in his father's work since he was a child. At 16 he began making buffalo horn tampers for the W.Ø.Larsen workshop, as well as his own rudimentary pipes, making as many as he could over two years and gaining enough skill to begin working as a pipe maker for the famed Danish workshop. After being urged by Teddy Knudsen, Skovgaard brought a selection of pipes to the Chicago Pipe Show in 2004, selling out his stock and starting him on a path toward becoming an artisan in his own right, resulting in pieces such as this Volcano.

There's a distinct sinuosity to this pipe that comes through in nearly every detail of its construction, starting with the stem which is deeply bent and meets the inflated shank face at a smooth chamfer that gives it a soft, nestled kind of appearance, like the black vulcanite is pushing into the hard briar as if it were pliable. The shank end is flared quite strikingly, with a firm ridgeline framing the face and urging out rearward a bit, with the top and bottom portions separated by another ridge at the rear which creates the firm base that is iconic to the shape. The top of the shank leads into a large parabolic transition that allows the thumb to rest comfortably inside it, rising up at the fore swiftly to meet the dipped rim. A subtle flare toward the base is present throughout the stummel, quite a bit less defined than in many Volcano imaginings, though serves well to add a touch of extra heartiness to the overall profile. The bowl here showcases a rather gentle forward urge which fosters a welcome dynamism, and it rises to over two inches in height and features a chamber depth of over two inches as well, the overall capacity here quite respectable. The underside of this piece is my favorite part, as it is here we can see Skovgaard's talent at the sanding wheel, with the ridgeline running around the base sloping inward a bit before pushing outward again, giving the center of the area a pronounced plumpness.

The entirety of the briar here is dressed in a warm mahogany contrast stain that reveals flame grain all around the bowl and through the shank, following the curves of the shape and urging toward the bowl. Underneath we see a vast array of swirling birdseye that is pushed aside in places by distinctive veins of grain that give it a unique look.