Bruno Nuttens Hand Made A Grade Sandblasted “Holbek’s LC”, Briar Pipe, New

Description

Starting out as a pipe restorer, Belgian artisan Bruno Nuttens moved onto producing his own pipes under the careful guidance of France’s most esteemed master pipe maker, Pierre Morel Jr. Nuttens’ first pipes creating relatively traditional pipes—often using carefully selected, decades-seasoned stummels from France’s historic Saint-Claude factories—but he would soon begin developing entirely handmade pipes in styles that seamlessly blended the old with the new. In the case of the latter, Nuttens was no doubt aided by time spent in the workshop of Danish legend Tom Eltang, where he further developed the skills and techniques behind his craft. Nuttens made such an impact in Denmark, in fact, that he’s been commissioned three times to develop the Stokkebye Pipe of the Year, a number rivaled only by Eltang himself. Today, Nuttens continues to craft high-grade pipes in a variety of styles, including his signature “Bing” and “Twiggy” shapes, all while mentoring students of his own, including the English-born artisan Chris Herriot.

I was quite fascinated by this pipe when talking with Bruno about his latest Hand Mades, and if I didn’t know I wanted it to come to us before that conversation, I certainly did after. The design has two principal inspirations, and though both are influential in modern pipe design, the idea of combining the two is very novel. As the title indicates, Bruno’s approach here was in part an homage to Danish pipe pioneer Gert Holbek and in part a study of the iconic Dunhill “LC” variations. Regarding the latter, Bruno was most interested in the “120LC,” which is not a shape per se, but an informal variation on the Dunhill catalog shape “120” identified and named by John Loring. The Dunhill 120 and LC shapes were similar in design, both being 3/4 bent billiards with something of a “swan neck” curvature and a tall, slightly egg-like bowl, but the LC was much larger, and as such those hallmark features were far more pronounced. Loring found that some examples of 120 shapes were, on the other hand, larger than a typical 120, but still smaller than an LC, occupying a sweet spot between the two. Hence this Nuttens rendition is closer to the 120 in terms of length, but also features the taller, more bulbous bowl seen on 120LC examples, especially those of the 1920s.

As for the other inspiration, Gert Holbek was one of the original greats of Danish pipe making and a central figure within its Pibe-Dan (later Pipe Dan) workshop. Holbek’s pipes were first inspired by Pibe-Dan, especially its Dan Shape Reformed designs, and he would ultimately join the workshop and create Dan Shapes of his own, such as his famous “Ambassador” series. It’s these shapes, with their plump bowls, narrow, stacked chambers, and focus on an upright posture (even when clenched), that Bruno hybridized with the 120LC. The result, as seen here, is a subtly strange and difficult-to-place design, one that serves as a tribute to two 20th century giants, yet without being reducible to, or derivative of, either.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.72 / 18.28mm

Bowl Depth: 1.92″ / 48.76mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g