Broken Pipe - Poul Ilsted
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mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast
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Sad to hear this news, but even sadder that I wasn't even aware of this pipe maker. His pipes are truly stunning! Regards to his family and friends.
Poul Ilsted Bech was one of the finest craftsman to ever make a pipe. Tom Eltang took me to meet Poul at his home/workshop in Svendborg, Denmark around 2001, in the early part of my visiting Europe every year to recruit famous Pipemakers to attend the Chicago Show. Poul never attended University, but was one of the most intelligent persons I have ever known. He was interested in many things, including World War II history, American Blues and Jazz, British sports cars and Motorcycles, red wine, etc. His command of English was impressive and he was a voracious reader. We exchanged letters several times a year on many topics of mutual interest, I would send him books on favorite subjects that he could not find in Denmark and he would occasionally send me a pipe. i will miss him dearly.
Poul finally attended the Chicago Show a couple of times with Manduela Ruger-Kursk, his long ago apprentice and long time friend. I was able to visit Poul in Svendborg a number of times, enjoying his conversations and watching him demonstrate things in his workshop after he moved some of the many empty wine bottles out of the way. The last time I visited him and Mandu in Svendborg, I was showing Denmark to Chicago area collector Carl Knighten and we were going next to visit pipemaker Peter Heeschen, a friend of ours. Poul heard that I was planning to leave Carl with Heeschen while I drove up to Laesso Island to visit with my pipemaker friend Anne-Julie, so he decided to come along with a "box" of fresh red wine! After a couple of very nice meals cooked by Heeschen, Poul and I drove to Anne-Julie's to visit and spend the night. Tired from driving I retired early to leave Poul and her talking and drinking wine, so Anne-Julie told me to help myself to the refrigerator when I got up in the morning. When I went down to the kitchen in the morning, Poul and Anne-Julie were sitting at the breakfast table, Poul in his underwear drinking wine and her in her night gown drinking juice, two of my favorite people.
Poul was known for his stylized shape Bulldog pipes and other faceted shapes of his design. He was the absolute master of shaping, faceting and finishing pipes on the flexible band sander and he was very fast in doing it. In addition to Ilsted, most of the makers who worked under Former at W. O. Larsen could work very fast as they had a quota number of pipes to complete each week and could work on their own pipes if finished early. Poul will be sorely missed by the handful of collectors of his pipes and the friends who knew him as a great pipemaker and great person.
Poul finally attended the Chicago Show a couple of times with Manduela Ruger-Kursk, his long ago apprentice and long time friend. I was able to visit Poul in Svendborg a number of times, enjoying his conversations and watching him demonstrate things in his workshop after he moved some of the many empty wine bottles out of the way. The last time I visited him and Mandu in Svendborg, I was showing Denmark to Chicago area collector Carl Knighten and we were going next to visit pipemaker Peter Heeschen, a friend of ours. Poul heard that I was planning to leave Carl with Heeschen while I drove up to Laesso Island to visit with my pipemaker friend Anne-Julie, so he decided to come along with a "box" of fresh red wine! After a couple of very nice meals cooked by Heeschen, Poul and I drove to Anne-Julie's to visit and spend the night. Tired from driving I retired early to leave Poul and her talking and drinking wine, so Anne-Julie told me to help myself to the refrigerator when I got up in the morning. When I went down to the kitchen in the morning, Poul and Anne-Julie were sitting at the breakfast table, Poul in his underwear drinking wine and her in her night gown drinking juice, two of my favorite people.
Poul was known for his stylized shape Bulldog pipes and other faceted shapes of his design. He was the absolute master of shaping, faceting and finishing pipes on the flexible band sander and he was very fast in doing it. In addition to Ilsted, most of the makers who worked under Former at W. O. Larsen could work very fast as they had a quota number of pipes to complete each week and could work on their own pipes if finished early. Poul will be sorely missed by the handful of collectors of his pipes and the friends who knew him as a great pipemaker and great person.
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