Smooth Ramses (Diamond) Tobacco Pipe

A shape designed by the legendary Swedish carver Bo Nordh, the Ramses' origins can be traced back to when he had a beautifully grained briar block but was struggling to visualize what shape could properly do it justice. Nordh took a pencil and sketched some lines, following the grain patterns only to put the block away until he decided to revisit it months later, eventually creating one of the most iconic shapes of all time. It's also a notoriously difficult form to execute since it requires a briar block suited for its unique grain orientation and is often rendered as a deeply bent shape, the drilling of the block presenting challenges of its own. Like the Elephant's Foot, also pioneered by Nordh, the Ramses has become a staple within artisan pipeamking, especially among Danish carvers with Peter Heding presenting his own striking interpretation here.

While it has been a few years since we last saw a Ramses from Heding, this piece assures us the wait was worth it. A pair of ridgelines inform the shank's shaping, with the saddle stem's base seamlessly continuing its line work and bringing cohesion to this demanding shape. The bowl protrudes from out of the broad shank, tapering from its high-set waistline to its strongly slanted heel. Grain orientation is paramount for the Ramses shape and Peter has oriented a captivating display of grain on this example. The shank's ridgelines perfectly frame streaks of horizontal grain while the incredibly wide shank serves as a canvas for whorls of birdseye, the bowl showcasing a vivid array of flame grain. Truly spectacular work from the Danish artisan and certainly deserving of its prestigious Diamond designation, Heding's highest grade and marked by a Zirconia diamond along the underside.