Ben Wade (Preben Holm ) Hand Cut XL Sandblasted Freehand (Estate Briar)

Though he would tragically pass away at the age of 42, Preben Holm was one of the pioneering figures in the “Danish design” movement in 20th century pipe-making – a movement that still dominates the high-grade pipe scene. By hand-shaping his pipes on a belt sander, Holm was able to make the most of the patterns of grain hidden within briar, creating spectacular works of pipe art that looked just as good as they smoked. Even Herman Lane, owner of Lane Ltd. and Charatan during the 1960s and 1970s, was so impressed by Holm that he contracted the Danish artisan to carve pipes under his newly-acquired Ben Wade make, despite simultaneously stewarding the meteoric rise of English-made freehand pipes through Charatan). Today, Holm’s pipes remain highly sought-after, perhaps even more so than when he was still alive, to the extent that even the historic—and, originally, very English—Ben Wade name is difficult to separate from Holm’s work.

Preben Holm really did know how to do astounding things with briar grain, and not just straight grain, either. This freehand from his workshop wears an expertly applied ring grain sandblast, though where it goes further than most is through the interplay of the bowl’s sculpted form and its finishing, creating the impression of alternating layers of deeper and shallower grain lines.

The condition is fair. Some inner rim charring and finish fading.

Details:

Length: 7.2″ / 182.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.86 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 1.86″ / 47.24mm

Weight: 2.5oz / 72g