Jess Chonowitsch Brandy w/ Horn Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Among today’s vibrant scene of high-grade artisan pipe-makers, there are yet few who command as much respect as Jess Chonowitsch. He began his career in 1966, working alongside his father, Emil, at Teofil Suhr’s workshop and under Poul Rasmussen’s direction. After Rasmussen’s passing in 1967, Jess joined the W.O. Larsen workshop alongside other budding masters, such as Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen, Teddy Knudsen, and Peter Hedegaard, while also spending time studying under Sixten Ivarsson. In 1970, Jess founded his own workshop – again, alongside his father – from which he has crafted his distinctly Danish smoking pipes for the last five decades.

While the brandy was originally associated with English and French pipe-makers, after the explosion in Danish high-grade artisan pipes in the 1960s and 1970s, the shape became inextricable from the latter. And one such artisan who can be credited with this shift more than almost any other is Jess Chonowitsch. This particular pipe is something of a signature Jess design; its bowl is broad and full, with a slight taper as it rises toward its rim; a delicate horn ferrule divides the stummel from a simple, black ebonite stem; and while its grain is fiery, these patterns are kept modest by a subdued, golden stain. Nowadays, this design is everywhere in the contemporary artisan scene, from the pipes of hobbyists to the highest of the high-grades. Are those pipes comparable to this one? In terms of how a pipe looks, and even on a technical level, a few will be, yes. But, once you’ve added historical importance to the equation, such comparisons become much harder to sustain.

The pipe’s condition is excellent. It has been well looked after by its previous owner, just as it should be.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.95 / 24.13mm

Bowl Depth: 1.77″ / 44.95mm

Weight: 2.0oz / 58g