Preben Holm Delight XL Partially Sandblasted Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Though he would tragically pass away at the age of 42, Preben Holm was one of the pioneering figures in the ‘Danish design’ movement in 20th century pipe-making – a movement that still dominates the high-grade pipe scene. By hand-shaping his pipes on a belt sander, Holm was able to make the most of the patterns of grain hidden within briar, creating spectacular works of pipe art that looked just as good as they smoked. Owing to Holm’s untimely passing, his pipes are even more highly sought after than they were during his lifetime.

As mentioned in a recent newsletter, this is one of the many unsmoked Preben Holm pipes that came through our trade-in program recently. A few of those have already been snapped up by our most devoted newsletter readers (don’t forget to sign up if you haven’t already), though there are plenty more to come.

This particular Preben Holm belongs to his “Delight” series, which showcased Holm and his apprentices’ masterful ability to blend different finishes in the same design. This one is particularly beautiful in that composition, with the bowl’s tan sandblasted sections resembling something of a platform upon which the smooth sections emerge. One could liken it to an avant-garde (think Picasso, or Dali perhaps) rendition of the old Charatan “cup and saucer,” or simply as the calyx and petals of a floral blossom. As should be expected of Holm, the sandblasting is crisp and highlights ring grain, while the remainder of the bowl is lit up with remarkably fine and consistent flame grain, culminating in a particularly vibrant rim of plateaux burl.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original (slightly time-worn) box and sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 8.0″ / 203.2mm

Bowl Width: 1.05 / 26.67mm

Bowl Depth: 1.97″ / 50.03mm

Weight: 3.3oz / 94g