Nording Hunter, 2020 Cheetah, Smooth

Since the 1960s, Erik Nørding has built a reputation on the Danish Fancy Freehand style. He was among the design movement's earliest pioneers, developing an immediately recognizable shaping aesthetic that forgoes traditional pipe shapes for organic and floral Freehands defined by evocative finishes and detailed flourishes. He's also an avid hunter — his house filled with myriad wall mounts of game from around the world, and Nørding's Hunting Pipe series merges the carver's favorite past time with his distinctive design style.

An annual installment since 1995, the series honors global conservation efforts by celebrating a specific animal through a singular pipe shape each year. This Cheetah edition from 2020 presents a bent Apple design in a smooth finish, the stain's dramatic contrast calling to mind its namesake's distinctive coat.

-Truett Smith