Stanwell (c.1980s-90s) Brazilia Smooth Calabash w/ Horn Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Stanwell is one of Denmark’s most celebrated and enduring pipe companies, having been founded by Poul Nielsen shortly after the second world war. Over the last six decades, Stanwell has established itself as both a leader in innovative Danish design and for producing well-priced pipes with precision construction and engineering. Many of its designs were created for the company by iconic pipe-makers in the Scandinavian scene, such as Sixten Ivarsson, Anne Julie, Jess Chonowitsch, and Tom Eltang.

Stanwell’s Brazilia line debuted in the 1960s and was defined by animal horn accents. Based on surviving catalogs, it appears that these accents originally took the form of brass-stabilized ferrule mounts, though the line expanded in the next decade to include rings of horn sandwiched between two narrow brass collars. This is an example of the latter, and based on the gold foil “S” logo on the pipe’s acrylic mouthpiece, it looks to be a late 1990s or early 2000s make. I didn’t notice a shape number stamped on the bowl, which was often the case with this iteration of the Brazilia, but no matter—it is quite recognizable. In fact, it was once part of Stanwell’s “Specialty” series, a collection of shapes designed by the Danish masters of the day, where it was known as the “Calabash” and carried the shape code “162.” The master behind it was the late Jess Chonowitsch, and though the calabash was not a typical shape in his own portfolio, he did create many a broad-bowled pipe in a similar vein, both in his artisan pipes and in the designs he licensed to Stanwell.

The condition is great. Minor inner rim darkening and slight finish fading, but it’s nonetheless held up very well.

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g