Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Asymmetric Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

The son of renowned artisan Benni Jørgensen, Skovgaard has pipe making in his blood, starting with W.Ø. Larsen at 16 where he made tampers and carved pipes in his spare time to practice the art. Eventually, he began to meet the exacting standards of both Larsen and his father, moving on to make pipes for the Danish workshop at 18 and rising swiftly to begin crafting their coveted Straight Grain pieces. After being urged by family friend Teddy Knudsen, Skovgaard began carving his own pipes, taking a small selection to the Chicago Pipe Show and selling out two years in a row, starting his career as an artisan carver.

This bent Dublin is a good example of Skovgaard's work, showcasing the organic curvature that he so often imbues into his pipes and doing so with a striking artistic flair. Thoroughly asymmetrical, this piece features a broad pair of flares across both the shank and bowl, with the shank's terminating in an undulating face covered in plateau. Additionally, this face has been chamfered at the middle, sloping inward to the mortise where fits the stem. Said stem is a lengthy arc of black vulcanite with an expansion ring at its base, adding another flare to this pipe's repertoire and enhancing the dynamism of the composition with an explosive presence coming out of the shank. A wide, curvaceous transition pairs the shank to the bowl, where the majority of this pipe's asymmetry is seen, as the left flank dips deeply, taking the ridge that wraps around the rim with it and creating a wonderfully lively, sloping display of of line that pulls the eye forward. There's a touch of dip to the right flank as well, but this is far more shallow than the left's though it serves to stylistically elevate the fore and aft portions of the rim, adding even further dynamism to this piece. Dressed in a warm auburn stain, this pipe showcases some handsome grain throughout, though its broad rim displays a stunning expanse of birdseye.