Kurt Balleby Smooth Straight Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Along with figures such as Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen, Anne Julie, and Tom Eltang, Kurt Balleby Hansen is one of the living legends of Danish pipe-making. Balleby celebrated his 40th year in the craft in 2023, having first started as an apprentice to Kai Nielsen and Preben Holm. Owing to a highly selective approach to the briar he uses, and to the over 150 steps involved in making a Balleby pipe, production is limited, and their availability is scarce.

As we discussed in a recent MBSD interview with Bear Graves, if there is one word that describes Kurt Balleby’s pipes, it is voluptuous. Graves goes so far as to call them “Rubenesque,” after the portraits of Peter Paul Reubens, and it’s not difficult to see why. This Danish rendition of the traditional apple is so plump and round that its bowl appears to almost spill over its shank, something achieved here by strategically “raising” the latter relative to the former. The result is a singularly organic look and feel and a shape far closer to its namesake fruit than any traditional factory manufacture could produce – or, indeed, most artisan pipe carvers. The grain patterns are spectacular, but that’s par for the course with Balleby. One thing that did surprise me, however, was how light the pipe is. Despite its curvy constitution, it has managed to remain only 40 grams.

The condition is great. Some darkening on the innermost beveled lip of the rim, and some minor tooth chatter.

 

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.42″ / 36.06mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 40g