Lasse Skovgaard: Smooth Bent Apple with Ivorite Tobacco Pipe

Lasse Skovgaard was born into the pipe world. The son of legendary carver Benni Jørgensen, Skovgaard began his journey into the world of artisan pipes at the age of 16, crafting buffalo horn tampers for W.Ø. Larsen before moving on to carve the workshop's prestigious Straight Grain pieces. Since that time, Skovgaard has built a strong reputation for his intuitive skill in shaping, as well as his unique, organic stye.

There's an easy fluidity through the entirety of this pipe's outline that I really enjoy, and I find that it works wonderfully with the soft, supple shaping that's both inherent to the Apple shape and magnified by Skovgaard's carving. The stem is a gently downturned saddle affair that offers an effortless clench, its broad base accented with a trim band of pale Ivorite which offers some handsome contrast to the composition. The shank takes on a demure upward arc as it pushes out of the transition, and the silhouette that it creates when paired with the stem is simply alluring. The shank itself is a gently flaring length of briar which is compressed at the flanks into an ovoid shape, though it expands as it reaches toward the stem in a lovely example of Skovgaard's understated shaping. A subtle bit of cheeking at the transition amplifies the presence of the bowl's curvature quite nicely, the walls supported by a sweeping heel as they grow to a rounded, low-set waistline. The curves here are particularly nice, with plenty of rounded edges for the fingers to appreciate throughout the bowl's arcing taper to the rim. A warm, natural finish dresses the stummel here, showcasing handsome flame grain that wraps around the bowl, while the underside is rich with peppered birdseye: the stummel itself ripe for patination thanks to its unstained surfaces.