Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Bent Dublin Churchwarden with Silver Tobacco Pipe

As the son of famed Danish artisan Benni Jørgensen, Lasse Skovgaard was particularly suited to take on the craft of pipe making. At the age of 16, Skovgaard started working at the prestigious W.Ø. Larsen workshop, where he made tampers and practiced his carving skills. After a couple years, Skovagaard honed his talents enough to began carving pipes for Larsen, and by the age of 19, he was fashioning the workshop's coveted Straight Grain pieces. As his skills improved, Skovgaard was encouraged by Teddy Knudsen to fashion and sell pipes under his own name. Skovgaard took a small selection of his work to the Chicago Pipe show, and when he sold out two years in a row, he decided to become a full-time artisan pipe maker.

This bent Dublin is a fine example of Skovagaard's style, which perfectly marries muscular proportions and dramatic forms with elegant line work and precise shaping. This piece features a tall, forward-canted bowl that flares from its lifted heel to its broad, plateau-crowned rim. The bowl's outward expansion is mirrored by the upturned shank's flare into the long, willowy Churchwarden stem. Said stem adds a considerable bit of length to the overall composition and ensures that the heat and smoke of the bowl will stay far from the eyes. The slightly stretched transition offers plenty of room to drape a finger over, while the bowl lends a surging momentum to the pipe in profile. A smoky, chestnut-hued smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights fine strands of flame grain as they rise in concert with the bowl's flare. A sterling silver band accents the shank end and provides a pop of flash to the pipe's otherwise reserved color palette.