Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Bent Brandy Tobacco Pipe

As the son of Benni Jørgensen, Lasse Skovgaard seemed particularly suited to take up the craft of pipe making, but that's not to say he didn't work to hone his skills. He spent countless years studying and refining his craft, starting at the age 16, when he found a job at the prestigious W.Ø. Larsen workshop. He started out making tampers before moving up and crafting the workshop's Straight Grain pipes, all the while under the supervision and mentorship of Teddy Knudsen. In 2004, Knudsen encouraged Skovgaard to make pipes under his own name. After Skovagaard quickly sold the initial pipes he made, he devoted himself to crafting artisan pipes. He's since become one of Denmark's most well-respected and celebrated artisans, crafting pipes that are both unique and stylish.

A fine example of Skovagaard's style, this bent Brandy elegantly marries supple curves with precise, architectural line work. A common shaping cue in Skovgaard's pipes, the shank here curls through the transition and seemingly cups the heel, effectively cradling and undergirding the rather robust bowl. One of the shank's ridgelines travels underneath the stummel and up the fore wall of the bowl before terminating at the rim. This shaping cue ties the bowl and shank inextricably together and draws the eye to the wide, bulbous heel, the thick, muscular transition, and the concave rim. The pinched transition accentuates the bowl's wide, bulbous heel and highlights the visual disparity between the top and bottom of the bowl. A warm, auburn-hued smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights fine strands of flame grain across the bowl's flanks and whorls of birdseye across the top of the shank.