Karl Erik C Smooth Egg Sitter Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Karl Erik was a Danish pipe-maker, and one of the originators of the Danish style of pipe making that swept the world in the 20th century. He was a prolific carver and many who apprenticed in his workshop went on to become iconic pipe-makers in their own right, such as Peder Jeppesen and Bent Nielsen (Benner). Erik was also what might be called a pipe-maker’s pipe-maker, one admired not only by Danish pipe enthusiasts, but by other legends in his contemporary scene – so much so that, when Erik sadly passed in 2004, Tom Eltang bought Erik’s lathe to use in his own workshop.

Though Karl Erik is popularly remembered for his freehand pipes, i.e., those in the “Danish Fancy” style also associated with Erik Nording and Preben Holm, he was also a phenomenal carver of pipes in the other “Danish” style, a tradition shared with figures such as Hans “Former” Nielsen, Jess Chonowitsch, and Per Hansen and Ulf Noltensmeier of S. Bang. A pipe such as this one shows that shared style—and, indeed, quality—very well. Taking the form of a bulbous bent egg, the pipe’s bowl is simply lined with 360 degrees of fine, tight, straight grain, a patterning accentuated further by a deep, red-brown contrast finish. Following the transition of the bowl into the pipe’s shank, we find that Erik has clearly made the most of the briar he was using, too, as the latter is distinctly paneled in a manner that ensures a continuity of its vertical graining all the way up to its black acrylic-mounted end.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. A couple of very small scratches on the bowl, though nothing major.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.81″ / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 62g