Danish Estates: Former Smooth Acorn with Horn (3) (1980-1995) Tobacco Pipe

Hans "Former" Nielsen is regarded as a master of the Danish tradition and considered a living legend within the pipe making world. Young artisans from across the globe make the pilgrimage to Nielsen's workshop to learn the intricacies of the craft, and for good reason, as the Danish artisan has spent nearly his whole life working with briar, boasting over six decades of experience in the trade. He began his career at the young age of 15, when he was hired to repair pipes in Poul Rasmussen's Copenhagen pipe shop. It was there that a young Former learned about the internal engineering involved in pipe making, and how to better improve it. He went on to work for W.Ø. Larsen, honing his skills, overseeing quality control, and training new carvers. He finally struck out on his own and has been crafting high-quality, high-functioning pieces of smoke-able art ever since. It's something of a rarity to find one of the Danish master's esteemed pieces on the estate market, which makes this vintage Acorn a bit of a treasure.

Dated to sometime between 1980 and 1995, this Acorn forgoes the fluid curvature often associated with Former's work, instead opting for a more classic, check-mark style of shaping. The tall, voluptuous bowl features a flared, softly inflated rim that favors the fore a touch more than the aft. The bowl tapers gradually from the rim to a firm, rounded heel that drops a whisper below the transition. The shank kicks high coming out of the low-set, cheeked transition before giving way to a flared fitment of horn that's inlaid with a glimmering metal, making for a firm push-mount for an arcing saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite. The relatively slender proportions of the shank-and-stem combination offer a willowy note to the pipe in profile, especially along the mouthpiece's downturn. The stummel wears a warm, traditional smooth finish that accentuates the handsome striations of flame grain that cover all sides of the bowl. It's a gorgeous piece from the master carver, and it's one that's sure to make for a cherished smoking instrument.