Bjarne Handmade Tulip Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Bjarne Nielsen was one of the towering figures of Danish pipe-making until his passing in 2008. As the founder of Bjarne, Nielsen employed talented pipe-makers from Denmark to produce distinctly Danish pipes and sold them to a devoted international audience. Among those in his employ were figures such as Mogens Johansen (also known as Johs), Ph. Vigen, Ole Bandholm and Tonni Nielsen. Though Bjarne pipes are no longer manufactured, they are still in good demand by those who enjoy well-made pipes in the tradition of Danish design.

It is always a pleasure to have unsmoked pipes from the giants of Danish design land upon my desk. While not as immediately recognizable as ‘Danish’ as, say, a Former or an Eltang, the neo-traditional bent of other Denmark-based carvers, such as Poul ‘Suhr’ Rasmussen or Emil Chonowitsch, is certainly apparent. The straight grain is as impressive, just as a hand-shaped pipe should be, and the tulip-like bowl and pencil shank lend a unique touch to the overall design. Curiously, this reminds me of Stanwell’s ‘B1’ shape, which was a tribute to Bjarne Nielsen based upon his personal, favorite pipe. I imagine he approved greatly of this one, made in his own workshop.

As stated, the pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating to help the break-in process.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.73 / 18.54mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g