Sandblasted Paneled Apple with Camel Bone Tobacco Pipe

Originally a glazier, Danish artisan Henri Sørensen has always been an adept craftsman. His fascination with pipes began as a smoker, a hobby he shared with his brother, with whom he made his first forays into the craft. Coincidentally, the brothers' employer's father was none other Jens "Tao" Nielsen, who mentored the young artisans. Today, Henri makes pipes under his own name, having also worked with Erik Nielsen, Tom Eltang, and Lasse Skovgaard. Sørensen's style owes much to Poul Ilsted's attention to line, as well as the minimalism and organic nature of Eltang's and Skovgaard's work, respectively, though his particular combination of these elements is his own. This paneled Apple is a fine example of Sørensen's work, featuring a pert, supple bowl rendered in a hexagonal cross-section, resting here on a rounded heel. Said bowl sits at the fore of a defined transition to an extended, hexagonally-paneled shank and saddle stem of cultured amber — a high-quality, amber-toned acrylic. The stem material is one Sørensen has used a number of times in the past, and it's been matched to the shank at a junction marked with pale camel bone. Dressed in a crisp, inky sandblast, the stummel boasts rippling growth rings cascading down around the bowl, the accent offering rich contrast.