Ben Wade (Preben Holm) Spiral Extra Large Partially Sandblasted Freehand (Estate)

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.

The Spiral line was one way that Preben Holm and his apprentices showed off their mastery with briar, carving bowls with “twisted” motifs that nonetheless preserved the natural beauty of the grain patterns they were woven into. This one couples its titular carving with a mixed finish of smooth and sandblasted sections, with ring grain and flame grain patterns adding their own rises and falls to the overall design.

The condition is good. Some inner rim darkening and finish fading.

Details:

Length: 7.6″ / 193.0mm

Bowl Width: 1.06 / 26.92mm

Bowl Depth: 1.54″ / 39.11mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g