Jess Chonowitsch Sandblasted Bent Brandy 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.

Nobody does brandies quite like the Danes, but with that said, there’s no one way that each of them approaches the shape. There are often commonalities, such as a more rounded, organic constitution, but, given that Denmark revitalized the practice of artisan pipe-making, it’s only natural that these artisans went their own ways, sometimes with striking divergences. This particular pipe is a very “Jess” brandy to my eyes. It’s a little more plump than is tradition (to the point where it might also pass for an egg), but it’s also firmly rooted within that tradition, possessing a lingering, English-French feel to the overall design. As if to further lean into classic pipe design, the pipe also has an ivory stem adornment, though in this instance the material has been harvested from prehistoric fossils, rather than any extant species.

The condition is excellent. The previous owner really did baby this one, and I don’t blame them.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.75″ / 44.45mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 68g