Preben Holm XXL Smooth Freehand w/ Ebonite 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.

This looks to be a rather early Preben Holm pipe. It is certainly not one of his earliest, such as the works he sold through Pibe-Dan (later Pipe Dan), which were stamped, “P. HOLM,” but the fact that it has not been subcategorized into a line (such as the Fancy, or the Crown), or a grade (such as the 100 or the A) appears to situate it at the beginnings of his mature career. In any case, that it is stamped merely as “Preben Holm,” along with the typical, Danish country of manufacture, says all that it needs to. It is certainly a very Preben Holm pipe; it is extraordinarily large, at nearly 8 inches in length; it is by no means wanting for grain, with a contrast finish setting off flames all over the bowl; it is, while not too far off from a Dublin, shaped in a very curious manner, incorporating asymmetry into the foundations of the design by way of a snaking, under-traveling shank and a mixture of hard and soft facets; and it includes some of Holm’s hallmark ornamentation, in the form of a long, ebonite military mount and flared mouthpiece. Even if it were not stamped, it would be difficult to mistake for the work of someone else.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original (slightly time-worn) box and sleeve. There is some minor, residual oxidation on the ebonite mount, though nothing major.

Details:

Length: 7.8″ / 198.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.98 / 24.89mm

Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm

Weight: 3.3oz / 94g