Lasse Skovgaard: Sandblasted Long Shank Tomato Tobacco Pipe

Joining the likes of Teddy Knudsen and Jess Chonowitsch, Lasse Skovgaard worked for W.Ø. Larsen and carved the workshop's esteemed Straight Grain pipes before leaving to pursue his own artisan pipe-making career. Working for Larsen developed a skilled foundation for Lasse, both stylistically and technically, and his pipes often cater toward traditional Danish shapes. Most of his designs are bent and display a dramatic sense of sinuosity that helps define Skovgaard's personal aesthetic.

Long-shanked designs like this Tomato have been most often attributed to the aesthetic influence of Danish icon Lars Ivarsson. Much of Ivarsson's signature designs featured elongated shanks that incorporated both curving and tapering lines, and Skovgaard pays homage to that recognizable motif with this piece. Much of the pipe's over-six-and-a-half inch length comprises the shank, and its form showcases a steady taper from stem to transition, urging the eyes forward and lending the bowl a perched-like stance. Said bowl is squat and plump, and the forward orientation of the chamber emphasizes the aft portions bulging roundness. It's a thoroughly Danish design and one that's well executed by the hand's of Denmark's finest active artisan's.