Tao Smooth Billiard with Silver (9mm) Tobacco Pipe

Inspired by the pipes he saw smoked by fellow seamen during his time as a sailor, Danish artisan Jens "Tao" Nielsen's oeuvre primarily comprises pipes of a remarkably compact musculature, as the cramped spaces below decks necessitated small, easily maneuverable smokers that could stand up to rugged use. This singular shaping style is a hallmark of Nielsen's design, combining clean, smooth lines with compact profiles, an aesthetic clearly reflected in this Billiard from the Danish artisan. This piece measures in at just a touch under five inches long, keeping it out of Nosewarmer territory but still maintaining an impressively compact silhouette. Compared to its length, the other aspects of this pipe's construction are quite robust, with an appreciable weight and a rather thick stretch of shank that ebbs out of a wide, softly cheeked transition. The stem here is a sleek taper of cumberland that joins the shank at a rather broad fitment of silver, the glinting metal adding a dose of stately elegance to this composition. Sitting at the fore of the pipe atop a rounded heel is a plump and rather supple bowl that's immediately reminiscent of the Apple, growing walls that make an arcing taper to the rim from a rather mid-set waist. There's a slight forward cant through these walls that further emphasizes the bowl's presence, and the wealth of curves they possess makes for a comfortable feel in hand. The wealth of briar that comprises the bowl not only suffuses this piece with a full-bodied heartiness in hand, but also displays a wealth of wrapping flame grain beneath the stummel's warm mahogany stain, the rim and underside peppered by pinpricks of swirling birdseye.