Smooth Diplomat Tobacco Pipe

With tutelage from Tom Eltang, Lasse Skovgaard, Kai Neilsen, and Jens "Tao" Nielsen, Henri Sørensen has established himself among Denmark's burgeoning generation of talented young artisan pipe makers. His prior expertise as a glazier brings craftsmanship experience to his pipe making as well as an established artistic eye, and his work often draws inspiration from Danish greats.

Though a classic shape, the Diplomat is rare in modern pipe-making. Essentially, it's an oval-shanked Author, and this example from Sørensen leans heavily toward the Author's characteristic charm. Marked by robust proportions throughout, it poses a substantially rounded bowl on the end of an equally weighty shank. Usually, the Diplomat's oval shank slenderizes the profile for a sleeker presentation. This piece, though, while oval-shanked, retains a steady and consistent stoutness through the entire form. It makes for a charming and comforting pipe that fits well in hand and provides plenty of canvas on which to showcase this briar block's handsome grain.