Svendborg Bark Smooth Brandy Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

To most, Svendborg is simply a small town on the island of Funen in Denmark. But to Danish pipe collectors, it is arguably as significant a place as Copenhagen. This is because the town has been the home base of some of the most revered pipe-makers in Denmark, such as Manduela Riger Kusk or Kaj Rasmussen. But a significant part of the reason for this inordinate concentration of pipe-making talent can be credited to two men and the company they founded: Jens “Tao” Nielsen and Poul Ilsted Bech, and Svendborg Piber. Having struck up a friendship when both working for Erik Nording, Tao and Ilsted soon decided to leave Nording and form their own pipe-making partnership. After a short run under the Tao & Ilsted make, the two bought a factory to manufacture their designs at a larger scale, which took the town of Svendborg, in which it was situated, as its namesake. Over the years, a number of great carvers worked with Tao and Ilsted at Svendborg, including the aforementioned Kaj Ramussen, Svend Hangaard, and Henrik Jorgensen.

While Tao and Ilsted’s Svendborg make did produce freehand pipes, its owners made no secret of their love for more classically-oriented shapes. These shapes were, however, reinterpreted in a distinctly Danish style. This brandy, for example, can be compared to its English, French, and Irish counterparts, but it also has a broad base more commonly seen in Danish renditions, as well as a flared, ebonite mount sandwiched between its shank and stem. What’s interesting to notice, however, is how the mount’s flare and the bowl’s conical form mirror each other. In other words, there’s a distinct symmetry to the design, even if it is not the same symmetry found in strictly traditional shapes. This is something that can be found in many Svendborg pipes, as well as in the individual works of Tao and Ilsted.

The condition is very good. There’s some darkening an finish fading on the rim, and what may be a spot of light char on the back of the bowl exterior (though it may simply be a darker spot in the grain), but I’d still say it’s in good shape.

 

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.46″ / 37.08mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g