WO Larsen Sandblasted Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

WO Larsen was a tobacconist in Copenhagen Denmark. In the 1960s, when Danish-style pipes were becoming highly sought after, thanks to revolutionary pipe-makers such as Sixten Ivarsson, a workshop was set up on the Larsen premises to produce enough high-grade Danish pipes to meet demand. This workshop was staffed by the emerging masters of Danish pipe-making, such as Sven and Teddy Knudsen, Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen, Jess Chonowitsch, Poul Ilsted, and Benni Jorgensen.

It’s subtle, but I would go so far as to call this WO Larsen an example of a “Danish bulldog.” If we compare it to something like the classic “48” shape from Dunhill, we can see that they’re both short, saddle designs, but on this one the bowl is so much broader and more bulbous, as is the case for so many Danish shapes. The two-tone, mixed finish of the pipe’s design accentuates this property even further, making the bowl seem to almost “erupt” out of the shank. Knowing which particular Danish great created WO Larsen pipes is so often a mystery, but if I had to guess, I would presume that this one was at the very least designed by either Soren Refbjerg Rasmussen or Peter Hedegaard.

The condition is good. Some inner rim darkening and slight finish fading, but nothing major.

 

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.38″ / 35.05mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g