Kent Rasmussen Sandblasted Sphinx Sitter w/ Masur Birch Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Just when you might have thought that Denmark had exhausted its supply of master pipe makers (barring its numerous dynasties, of course)— artisans capable of crafting works so acclaimed that they command thousands of dollars apiece—along comes someone like Kent Rasmussen. Rasmussen’s rise to fame has been nothing less than meteoric, placing him at a stature on par with various legends who have been making pipes for longer than he has been alive. Yet a familiarity with his background goes a long way to explaining how he got to where he has.

Rasmussen initially trained for a vocation in architecture and engineering, which would occupy him for nearly a decade after completing his studies. He also pursued a career in modern art, working in a variety of mediums, including sculpture, painting, and photography.

By his late 30s, however, Rasmussen had grown discontented with both professions. Looking for a fresh start, Rasmussen turned to something that he had already previously explored, albeit purely as a hobbyist: pipe making. In 1998, Rasmussen met Teddy Knudsen, who was by then one of Denmark’s most celebrated artisans (and who still is today). Knudsen acted as a guide for Rasmussen, helping him along the path to becoming the high-grade, high-demand pipe maker that he is today.

In addition to being a world-class pipe maker, Kent Rasmussen is someone whose pipes consistently push the boundaries of conventional pipe design, even amongst his Scandinavian contemporaries (though one might say that this aspect is part of what makes his pipes so good). The one downside to this—at least. from the perspective of someone who sells many estate pipes—is that it can be quite difficult to know what to call them, and indeed what to categorize them as in our modern, algorithmic societies. This one, for example, has affinities with Danish sphinx shapes thanks to its broad, flattened front face and the ridges that surround it. But its figure, especially considered in profile, is also at least mildly evocative of the “leaping” dolphin shapes of Tokutomi, albeit executed with far more symmetry. As with a few of Tokutomi’s renditions, Rasmussen has also managed to engineer this pipe with the quite remarkable property of being a sitter—yet more evidence that he is genuinely one of the best in his field.

The condition is great. Very minor inner rim darkening and equally minor handling marks.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.71″ / 43.43mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g