Looking at the lines of this pipe, one would think it had been made in Denmark in the late '50's or early '60's, perhaps by Poul Rasmussen. It has a tall, horn-like bowl with very smooth and elegant contours, and a refined oval shank that emerges fluidly from the bottom of the bowl at an angle. The shape is completed with a long handcut vulcanite taper bit. The pipe was cut directly across the grain of the Calabrian briar, and the resulting birdseye on both sides of the bowl is enhanced with the old-style Bruyere stain. But it is unquestionably a Dunhill, the only one of this shape I have ever seen. The late '50's were not a time of great innovation at Dunhill; indeed, pipes made during this period looked very much like Dunhills made before the war. Moreover, Dunhill's designs were strongly influenced by the Danish freehand style, but not until the '70's, to the point where they purchased pipes from Preben Holm, and sold them under the old "Harcourt" label. So one is left to conclude that a particular carver came up with an unusual design, and it proved so harmonious that Dunhill decided to bring it to market, not withstanding the departure it represented from their conventional style. But however it may have come about, it's a rare and unusually attractive pipe in excellent condition.
#1 von
Arno
, 20.01.2010 16:32
