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Knudsen, Sven: Difference between revisions
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<font size="4">'''Sven Knudsen'''</font>, elder brother of '''[[Teddy Knudsen]]''', is without any doubt one of the most important and influential characters of the early Danish freehand pipemakers. | <font size="4">'''Sven Knudsen'''</font>, elder brother of '''[[Teddy Knudsen]]''', is without any doubt one of the most important and influential characters of the early Danish freehand pipemakers. | ||
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The catalog portrayed a carefully balanced selection of models. Some Sven had developed and refined earlier when he was at Suhr's Pibemageri and later when working for W.Ø. Larsen and Pibe-Dan. Shapes like the "Walrus" or the "Swan" had already earned him a considerable reputation, and yet others that were newly sketched now. Teddy also added some of his own designs. | The catalog portrayed a carefully balanced selection of models. Some Sven had developed and refined earlier when he was at Suhr's Pibemageri and later when working for W.Ø. Larsen and Pibe-Dan. Shapes like the "Walrus" or the "Swan" had already earned him a considerable reputation, and yet others that were newly sketched now. Teddy also added some of his own designs. | ||
The pipes, stamped "Dantonian - Handicraft of Copenhagen", became very popular and a considerable success in sale. But even though the fraternal company broke apart after ca. 2½ years. Teddy left in early 1973 to pursue his own way. Sven Knudsen moved to Næstved where he continued to make pipes under the Dantonian name for some years more. | The pipes, stamped "Dantonian - Handicraft of Copenhagen", became very popular and a considerable success in sale. But even though the fraternal company broke apart after ca. 2½ years. Teddy left in early 1973 to pursue his own way. Sven Knudsen moved to Næstved in southern Sealand where he continued to make pipes under the Dantonian name for some years more. | ||
Sixten Ivarsson, who cherished Sven's work very much, introduced Sven's pipes to his Japanese customers. | Sixten Ivarsson, who cherished Sven's work very much, introduced Sven's pipes to his Japanese business friends and customers. Hence no wonder-- thanks to Sixten's personal recommendation and due to their outstanding quality Sven's pipes became very popular in Japan quickly. Very popular? It would be much better to call it an enormous hype that took on grotesque features! As Sven's daughter Marianne later reported her parents' house in downtown Næstved was strictly beleaguered by Japanese customers who would come to stay in the country for days at a time and turned the lot into a camping-site, living in tents while waiting patiently for her father to get some pipes finished! The girl was busy all day bringing them those enormous amounts of hot water they asked for. Watching all the usual habits of Japanese way of life like eating rice, raw fish and seaweed, drinking tea e.c. must surely have been a very odd sight in the eyes of a young Danish girl at those times! | ||
From 1973 to 1997 Sven Knudsen, meanwhile acknowledged as one of the best pipe artisans worldwide, continued to make his highly praised pipes that he mainly sold directly to private customers and a few selected traders. | |||
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[[Image:KnudsenS2.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Sven Knudsen]] | |||
Sven had been suffering from health issues (diabetes) before. But now, in 1997, things got worse. The diabetes caused an onset of severe neuritis and peripheral neuropathy, a partly very painful desease impairing his dexterity significantly. As if this wasn't enough, a severe allergic reaction - of all things to the dust of briar! - now forced him to close his workshop for official records. | |||
Nevertheless, whenever he felt a bit better he went to his workshop to finsih a few pipes in spite of all handicaps. But by far the amount wasn't large enough to secure his livelihood, and so, even though he sold pieces of his personal collection and other pipes that had been exhibited in a famous Copenhagen design center as items on loan, he got into serious financial troubles. | |||
When these sad news on Sven Knudsen's situation reached America, some of his friends and earlier dealers got together and organized charity sales to support him. '''Michael Parks, Paul Bonaquisti, Tim West, Michael Lindner''' and other pipemakers more are credited to contribute pipes from their production to aid their seriously invalid colleague. | |||
[[Image:KnudsenT2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Teddy inspecting his brother's last remaining pipes]] | |||
Finally, in Spring of 2004, Sven Knudsen had to quit making pipes once and for all. His brother Teddy came to his help. Teddy picked up the very last pipes from Sven's workshop and assisted by young pipemaker '''Lasse Skovgaard Jørgensen''' he finished and stamped them. Of course the funds from sale were entirely dedicated to Sven! | |||
A really touching end to the career of a man who made many an example of the finest Danish handcrafted pipes ever! | |||
[[Category: Pipe makers by nationality]][[Category: Denmark]] | [[Category: Pipe makers by nationality]][[Category: Denmark]] | ||