Smooth Bent Egg Tobacco Pipe

The bent Egg is a shape that caters well to the style often employed by artisan Danish carvers. The Danish tradition is generally marked by an adherence to smooth lines and supple curves, softening the profile of classic shapes. The bent Egg is inherently a round and curvaceous design, such an aesthetic made all the more apparent when rendered by a Danish master such as Hans "Former" Nielsen. Former has carved a number of variations, differing in their degree of bend, their finish, and general composition, and this particular one resembles the profile of a sandblasted version we received once before.

Like the previous example, this piece draws attention to the shank, its upward flicking profile accentuated by the stretched transition and use of an abbreviated saddle stem. What appeals to me about this rendition is how consistently Nielsen has carved the bottom curve, arcing consistently through the shank and heel before tightening slightly at the bowl's fore. It's a design cue Former has used before and one that serves to ground his pieces, providing a solid, seamless foundation to which the rest of lines relate. Though the overall length here is quite compact, the proportions are hearty and muscular. Such robustness contrasts against the form's elegantly smooth shaping and falls in line with the work of other renowned Danish artisans, like S. Bang and Jess Chonowitsch, beautifully embodying the style of Danish pipes in a sublimely voluptuous package.