Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Bent Brandy Tobacco Pipe

Lasse Skovgaard, like so many of his pipe-making peers in Denmark, got his start at the venerated W.Ø. Larsen workshop, initially crafting tampers from buffalo horn before progressing into carving the workshop's high-end pipes. Receiving tutelage from his dad, Benni Jørgensen, and from Teddy Knudsen, Lasse struck out on his own, making collectable, artisan pipes under his own name.

This hearty bent Brandy is a fine example of the artisan's talents, displaying the gentle contours, softened lines and voluptuous demeanor inherent to Danish design. Boasting plenty of plump roundness about the flanks, the full-bodied bowl displays a wavy rim and slight forward cant. Cheeking at the transition and a graceful, gestural upward swing of the shank are then met by the downturned, hand-cut vulcanite stem, the shaping embodying a fluid, sweeping profile. The stummel is wearing one of Lasse's rich auburn contrast stains, revealing gorgeous striations of flame grain engulfing the bowl, while handsome whorls of birdseye pepper the pipe's underside. Another fine testament to the artisan's skill in shaping the briar to best show off its grain in addition to the all-around precise craftsmanship for which he's known.