Smooth Acorn with Horn Tobacco Pipe

The bent Acorn is something of a signature shape for Lasse Skovgaarde, as he's taken the traditional form and really made it his own over the years. These pieces consistently feature a strong, sweeping silhouette from end to end, with the bowl's strong taper melding seamlessly into those arching lines. Though much less common, his straight Acorns on the other hand are quite different, forgoing that continuous, wave-like gesture for something much jauntier, and usually quite leaner as well.

This particular piece is a fine example of that latter style, featuring a high-waisted and high-rimmed Acorn bowl, tapering quickly down to a sharp spur of sorts along the base. Together with the proportionally trim, abbreviated shank, slightly flared horn mount, and lower profile, lengthy mouthpiece, it all works to produce quite the rakish silhouette in profile, with the streamlined stem and sharp spur contrasting nicely with the plumper, more rounded form of the bowl itself. Lasse's complemented all that gorgeous shaping here with a medium walnut contrast stain and a smooth finish, really showcasing the briar's lovely grain. It's not everyday we see a straight Acorn from the Danish artisan, so I wouldn't wait too long to add this beautiful briar to your collection.

- Andrew Wike