Stanwell Zebrano Sandblasted Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

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.

Unlike the Buffalo line, Stanwell’s Zebrano refers not to the animal zebra but to a species of hardwood commonly known as “zebrawood.” This wood has been favored by Danish artisans for decades, with Stanwell contributing their own pipes to this minor tradition by way of pipes with zebrawood shank extensions. This one pairs its accent with a rugged, burgundy sandblast, providing for an enjoyable contrast effect. In my years of handling Stanwells, I’ve found that lines with shank extensions, like the Zebrano and the Buffalo, tend to omit shape numbers in their stamping. Thankfully, those years of handling Stanwells have imprinted their shape numbers on me somewhat. This looks to be the (quite rare) shape 17 (the second version, likely debuting in the 1970s-1980s), purportedly designed by Sixten Ivarsson. I’ve heard it called a pot and an apple, but to my eyes it’s more like the many pear shapes Sixten designed for Stanwell, minus the oval stem. Vintage: 1998-2009, made in Denmark in Stanwell’s Borup factory.

The condition is fair. Darkening and some charring of the rim, and some handling marks and darkening of the finish.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.50″ / 38.10mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g