Jorn Micke 4763 Smooth Squat Tomato w/ Horn Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Jørn Micke occupies a very special place in the history of pipe making. In both his skill and his style, he is spoken of in much the same terms as artisans such as Sixten Ivarsson, Lars Ivarsson, and Bo Nordh. His pipes were masterfully constructed, novel in form, highly sought-after during his lifetime, and would be even more coveted after his passing in 2005. But he produced so few of them compared to his peers, including the Ivarssons and Nordh, that his pipes are, arguably, even more difficult to acquire than those of said peers (again, including the Ivarssons and Nordh). At times, Micke is purported to have made as little as 20 pipes per year, and as he was particularly popular in Japan, that’s where a considerable amount of his pipes went. Consequently, there are few pipe makers whose works are as scarce as Micke’s. And, yet, his influence on other pipe makers—big and small, so to speak—has been nothing short of profound.

While other pipe makers have contributed various novel shapes to pipe design, such as Sixten Ivarsson’s Peewit, Lars Ivarsson’s Blowfish, or Bo Nordh’s Elephant’s Foot, Ballerina, or Ramses, Micke is quite special in that, while he did create shapes that have been reproduced by other artisans since their conception, he can also be credited in having created a style in itself. Sixten Ivarsson and Bo Nordh may have pioneered the “shape first, drill second” approach to pipe making, but Micke is responsible for what is often simply called the “Micke.” The “Micke” is difficult to define but, as the saying goes, one knows it when one sees it. The Kaga series by Tsuge, for example, is one comprised wholly of “Mickes,” and Japanese pipe making in general is full to the brim of designs that can be linked to Micke’s work, such as those of Hiroyuki Tokutomi, to Kei Gotoh, to Ray Kurusu. The Micke is similarly prominent in the American scene, with living greats such as Todd Johnson, Alex Florov, and Abe Herbaugh being among the many artisans to have crafted explicit and implicit “Micke” renditions.

And here, of course, we have an original “Micke Make” “Micke.” Squat, plump, and effortlessly organic, the design incorporates a calculated play of symmetries asymmetries that brush away any attempt to reduce it to established categories, even all these years later.

The condition is great. Some minor inner rim darkening and some slight weathering of the pipe’s horn ferrule, but the pipe is nonetheless beautifully preserved. This pipe comes with its original presentation box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 6.9″ / 175.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.07″ / 27.17mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g