Jorgen Larsen C9 Smooth Brandy Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates, 9mm

Description

Jørgen Larsen was a major figure in Danish artisan pipe making for a number of reasons. His career in pipes began at Stanwell, where he worked in the famous Borup factory, though he would ultimately depart for the greener pastures of a solo carver. After all, as it happens, he was incredibly gifted in these endeavors, and these gifts would contribute to the success of other notable names in the industry, both at home and abroad. For example, when Japan’s Tsuge company sent Kazuhiro Fukuda and Smio Satou to Europe to absorb the secrets of high-grade pipe making, it was Larsen, along with Sixten Ivarsson, who they visited, before returning home to start the Tsuge Ikebana workshop. Later on, when tobacco giant Peter Stokkebye wanted high-grade pipes to sell under the Stokkebye name, it was Larsen he contracted to make them. Larsen was not the only carver to make Peter Stokkebye pipes, but the pipes he did supply for that venture have become so legendary that, as far as pipes go, the Peter Stokkebye name is all-but synonymous with Larsen’s. After Peter’s death, Larsen returned to pipe making under the “Jørgen L.” name, with such pipes being equally as prized. All of this is impressive, but it’s even more so considering that Larsen suffered from a recurrent briar allergy that repeatedly interrupted his career. Then again, rarely is great art achieved without at least a little suffering on the part of the artist.

This particular pipe comes from Larsen’s solo venture, though I couldn’t say whether it was a pre- or post-Stokkebye make. In either case, it’s slightly more classical than some of his works, but is certainly not without a palpable “Danishness” to it. As with many of Larsen’s designs, it has a noticeably organic character, with its tall, bulbous, brandy bowl ballooning out a little at the base—almost as if it were a drop of water spilling at the edge of a surface, caught just before the fall. Based on what I was able to read from Larsen’s American importers, it appears that his Jørgen L. pipes used a descending alphabetical grading system, with “A” at the top, “B” below that, and so on. As a “C” grade, that would place this one in the third-highest tier of those pipes, a qualification its remarkably fine “angel hair” straight grain most certainly deserves.

The condition is very good. Slight inner rim darkening, minor finish fading, and some light tooth marks. This pipe is chambered to accommodate 9mm filters if desired.

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.83″ / 46.48mm

Weight: 2.9oz / 84g