Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Acorn Tobacco Pipe

A sleek Acorn from Danish artisan pipe maker Lasse Skovgaard, this pipe offers a sinuous profile and the softened, gestural shaping cues often present in Skovgaard's work. A second-generation pipe maker, Lasse is the son of Benni Jørgensen and polished his craft working alongside Teddy Knudsen in the W.Ø. Larsen workshop. He now produces fine pipes under his own name with an organic style all his own, a portfolio of which this Acorn is a fine example.

The bowl here flares generously, with the Acorn's rounded top compressed a bit, the rim displaying a near continuous curve as it comes around to a softly chamfered rim. The transition is pinched, lending pronounced cheeking at the bowl's base, and the shank curves elegantly down before gliding back up to a flare at the stem junction. A hand-cut vulcanite stem starts with a narrow base, tapering in volume while widening slightly as it reaches for a precisely crafted lip button. A light smooth finish allows the grain to sing a pure song, and Lasse has shaped expertly to it so we can see clear, beautiful notes of flame grain on the flanks and birdseye packing the rim.