Kent Rasmussen Sandblasted Freehand w/ Masur Birch Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Just when you might have thought that Denmark had exhausted its supply of master pipe makers (barring its numerous dynasties, of course)— artisans capable of crafting works so acclaimed that they command thousands of dollars apiece—along comes someone like Kent Rasmussen. Rasmussen’s rise to fame has been nothing less than meteoric, placing him at a stature on par with various legends who have been making pipes for longer than he has been alive. Yet a familiarity with his background goes a long way to explaining how he got to where he has.

Rasmussen initially trained for a vocation in architecture and engineering, which would occupy him for nearly a decade after completing his studies. He also pursued a career in modern art, working in a variety of mediums, including sculpture, painting, and photography.

By his late 30s, however, Rasmussen had grown discontented with both professions. Looking for a fresh start, Rasmussen turned to something that he had already previously explored, albeit purely as a hobbyist: pipe making. In 1998, Rasmussen met Teddy Knudsen, who was by then one of Denmark’s most celebrated artisans (and who still is today). Knudsen acted as a guide for Rasmussen, helping him along the path to becoming the high-grade, high-demand pipe maker that he is today.

It is hard to imagine anyone who could have been a better teacher in that regard, and Knudsen’s near-unparalleled knack for shaping is something that quite evidently rubbed off on Rasmussen. It is, after all, Knudsen that is a good part of the reason that the term “freehand” is still applied to pipes that do not simply look like one of Erik Nording’s lines of the same name. Knudsen, Rasmussen, and the latter’s contemporary Lasse Skovgaard continue to create pipes—just like this one—that defy even the most modern of artisan coinages and categorizations, leaving the rest of us to simply say, “Wow, what a magnificent freehand!”

This pipe is completely unsmoked and comes with its original leather sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.50″ / 38.10mm

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g