Stanwell Silke Brun 124 Smooth Egg Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates, 9mm

Description

Stanwell is one of Denmark’s most celebrated and enduring pipe companies, having been founded by Poul Nielsen shortly after the second world war. Over the last six decades, Stanwell has established itself as both a leader in innovative Danish design and for producing well-priced pipes with precision construction and engineering. Many of its designs were created for the company by iconic pipe-makers in the Scandinavian scene, such as Sixten Ivarsson, Anne Julie, Jess Chonowitsch, and Tom Eltang.

The 124 is one of my favorite shapes in the entirety of Stanwell’s historical catalog, and it is also highly unique. Of course, many of Stanwell’s shapes are unique, which is in part why the make has achieved such remarkable success over the last seven decades. But the 124 is especially different, in that it is purportedly a shape designed by not one, but two of Denmark’s greatest pipe makers. These would be Sixten Ivarsson, the artisan who arguably brought Stanwell into the pipe making big leagues in the first place, and Sixten’s son Lars Ivarsson, one of the few artisans to have, arguably, become even more acclaimed than his father. It is said that the 124 was a collaborative effort between father and son, and even from the design alone, it is not difficult to come to that conclusion. There combination of a bulbous, egg-apple bowl and a relatively long shank that thins at its mid section, before thickening at either end, is very much reminiscent of Lars’ work, so I’m quite inclined to believing this claim, though I haven’t been able to verify it with anyone directly involved (for reasons that are quite obvious).

The condition is Good. Some minor inner rim darkening and a few handling marks and scuffs in the finish, but nothing major. This pipe is chambered to accommodate 9mm filters, if the next owner pleases.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 2.0oz / 58g