Age Bogelund (N) Smooth Polonius (Estate)

Age Bogelund—or to use the correct Danish spelling, Åge Bøgelund—was a fascinating figure in the Danish artisan scene. He seems to have got his start working at Denmark’s famous Bari Piber company, where he made high-grade pipes under its original owner and operator, Viggo Nielsen. It also seems that he was adept at pipe making that he would end up running Bari himself, after Nielsen stepped aside. In addition to his work with Bari, he also made similarly high-grade pipes for the German distributor Charles Fairmorn, as well as under his own name. Part of what makes Bøgelund so interesting, however, is that, aside from the brief biography just given, little else is known about him. Furthermore, despite being such a mysterious individual compared to so many of his peers, his pipes are very highly regarded and sought after. Ordinarily, that kind of demand is accompanied by extensive documentary research on the artisan and their works, though in Bøgelund’s case, those endeavors have largely come up empty. In any case, one could say that his legacy is not just that he made excellent pipes, but also that he proved that pipe makers don’t need to be celebrities to be recognized for their worth.

As mentioned in another recent listing, from what I’ve seen, Åge Bøgelund appears to have been quite interested in hawkbill-style designs, with a good number of his pipes employing the shape’s hallmark inverted curvature following from the base of the shank to the button. This one does have something of the hawkbill to it, though there is another, more obscure, shape that it bears a striking resemblance to: the “Polonius.” Originally conceived by Gert Holbek, one of the great pioneers of Danish pipe making, it’s a shape that wasn’t all that common outside of Holbek’s work until its rediscovery in the more contemporary artisan scene, though I wouldn’t put it past Bøgelund to create an homage, given his stylistic affinities with its creator.

The condition is very good. Some inner rim darkening and some slight scratches around the bowl.

Details:

Length: 5.9″ / 149.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g