Here’s a lovely piece made by the Danish pipemaker Hans Brandt in the 1960’s that I picked up from Rob Cooper awhile back. Lately it’s been in my rotation so I thought I’d share a few photos. Rob listed this as a “tobacco leaf” pipe but to me it has a flower-like quality to it, say a tulip or a flower beginning to bloom. This pipe was in near-mint condition with no dings or scratches to speak of. Remarkable for a pipe that’s nearly 60 years old, with only some minor green oxidation in the stem’s hard-to-reach grooves belying its like-new appearance.
Hans Brandt is a now-forgotten pipemaker from years past. Not too much is known about him except that he was associated with the Copenhagen shop Pibe-Dan in the 1960’s and either made pipes for them of sold his pipes through them. Apparently Iwan Ries sold his pipes to the U.S. in the 1970’s. Hans is the second of three generations of pipemakers as his father Frederik and his son Fred also made pipes. His father’s were stamped FBR for Frederik Brandt-Roskilde. When I saw the name Brandt I wondered if there was any relation to Oliver & Max Brandt, the German father & son pipemakers who also do very nice work but I couldn’t find anything to confirm this.
This is the only pipe I’ve seen by Hans and if it’s representative of his work, he was a very talented maker indeed! The ornate carving and shaping of the “leaves” is exceptional. The stemwork is first-rate and very comfortable with the pipe having a nice, open draw. It smokes great and measures just under 6 inches long with a bowl height of about 2½ inches. It’s also very lightweight; I’m guessing 30 to 45g at most. I really like the darker staining Hans used, with the lighter strands of grain showing through. Being made in the 1960’s, it predates the Danish freehand practice of grain dictating shape but in this case the grain takes a backseat to the exceptional carving and design.
I really fell in love with this pipe the moment I saw it on Rob’s site. There’s a certain elegance and refinement in Danish pipes of this era and this one is right up there among the best. I wish there were more pipes like this but with briar being the devilishly difficult material it is to work with, I guess few pipe makers are willing to invest the time and skill necessary to craft pipes of this style. I guess that's what meerschaum is for. :lol:
Hans Brandt is a now-forgotten pipemaker from years past. Not too much is known about him except that he was associated with the Copenhagen shop Pibe-Dan in the 1960’s and either made pipes for them of sold his pipes through them. Apparently Iwan Ries sold his pipes to the U.S. in the 1970’s. Hans is the second of three generations of pipemakers as his father Frederik and his son Fred also made pipes. His father’s were stamped FBR for Frederik Brandt-Roskilde. When I saw the name Brandt I wondered if there was any relation to Oliver & Max Brandt, the German father & son pipemakers who also do very nice work but I couldn’t find anything to confirm this.
This is the only pipe I’ve seen by Hans and if it’s representative of his work, he was a very talented maker indeed! The ornate carving and shaping of the “leaves” is exceptional. The stemwork is first-rate and very comfortable with the pipe having a nice, open draw. It smokes great and measures just under 6 inches long with a bowl height of about 2½ inches. It’s also very lightweight; I’m guessing 30 to 45g at most. I really like the darker staining Hans used, with the lighter strands of grain showing through. Being made in the 1960’s, it predates the Danish freehand practice of grain dictating shape but in this case the grain takes a backseat to the exceptional carving and design.
I really fell in love with this pipe the moment I saw it on Rob’s site. There’s a certain elegance and refinement in Danish pipes of this era and this one is right up there among the best. I wish there were more pipes like this but with briar being the devilishly difficult material it is to work with, I guess few pipe makers are willing to invest the time and skill necessary to craft pipes of this style. I guess that's what meerschaum is for. :lol:
