Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Bent Apple Tobacco Pipe

As the son of Benni Jørgensen, Lasse Skovgaard could be said to have pipe making in his blood, but this isn't just a case of inherited talent. At the age of 16, Skovgaard began working at the esteemed W.Ø. Larsen workshop and quickly graduated from producing tampers to fashioning pipes with the other carvers. He refined his skills and talents over time with the help of his father and the great Teddy Knudsen, and in 2004, he started making artisan pipes under his own name. He quickly garnered international success and is now considered one of Denmark's primer carvers.

This bent Apple showcases Skovgaard's talent with plump curves and flowing lines. Like many of his renditions of the classic shape, the bowl here features a subtly convex rim that comes to a defined point at its fore and aft sides, bringing to mind the opened mouth of a Venus fly trap. The rest of the bowl is stocky and voloptous, possessing an elegant curvature that nicely accommodates wrapping fingers. The shank feeds into the low-set transition and provides a touch of definition to the heel, appearing almost to hoist the bowl at the fore of the composition. The consistent undercurve draws attention to the shank and its single flanking ridgeline, which curls from the heel to the start of the arcing saddle stem. A glossy, auburn-hued smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights fine strands of flame grain on either flank of the bowl. It's a stunning pipe that exudes an elegant charm, and it will doubt become a welcome addition to any collector's rotation.