Tonni Nielsen (4) Smooth Standing Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

A living legend in Danish pipe making, Tonni Nielsen first began his career at the age of 16, at the historic W.O. Larsen workshop. Here he apprenticed under Hans “Former” Nielsen and Teddy Knudsen, and within a few years, he was already carving Larsen’s high-grade Straight Grain and Bird’s-Eyes pipes. In fact, during his time with W.O. Larsen, Tonni Nielsen was responsible for many of its highest-grade pipes, i.e., those which received the shop’s mythical “Pearl” designation. After going solo and continuing his successes, Nielsen emigrated to Kentucky, in the United States, where he currently resides.

While Tonni Nielsen has a number of signature designs, one of the motifs that he appears especially fond of is that of the “sitter,” a property that he incorporates into various other shapes. Some of these shapes are more vase-like; others are distinctive brandy renditions; and others play on the “Ballerina” and “Elephant’s Foot” themes first developed by Swedish pipe pioneer Bo Nordh. It is, thus, not uncommon to come across a Tonni Nielsen that is positively balletic in figure, even when it isn’t a Ballerina per se. Another interesting thing about Nielsen, however, is that, in addition to adding a “sitting” element to his shaping, he will also occasionally add another facet to the bowl’s front side, meaning that it can not only perch on pointe, but on its head as well, so to speak. It is almost like the pipe equivalent of a handstand, or a Sirsasana pose. It’s deceptively difficult to pull off, especially both at once, though perhaps less so for a veritable briar yogi like Nielsen. Of course, the best shaping in the world is little without good finishing to back it up, but given Nielsen’s background and career to date, it should be no surprise that this Dublin double-sitter is comprehensively flanked by straight grain—grain that perfectly follows the contours of the pipe’s bowl and shank, no less—and wears a a segmented halo of pure bird’s-eye.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original (slightly time-worn) bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.76″ / 44.70mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g