Todd Johnson Smooth Elephants Foot with Bamboo and Mammoth (Hoplite) (2005) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

American artisan Todd Johnson's portfolio features both shape-chart classics and unique, imaginative pieces. Throughout his career, he's crafted pipes that excel both as smoking instruments and intricate works of art. Formally instructed in aesthetics with a masters degree from Yale, Todd has also studied all the greats of pipe making, including traveling to Denmark to learn firsthand from renowned Danish artisans like Tom Eltang and Anne Julie. This Hoplite-graded Elephant's Foot rendition exemplifies Johnson's masterful line work and inclination for organic motifs. The bowl is seemingly skewered by a long bamboo shank, bookended by a mammoth accent band and matching moisture cap at the foot, complete with a bent saddle stem out back. Said bowl features two supple sections at fore and aft, separated by a defined ridge that wraps its diameter, the crisp lines offering tactile intrigue as well as visual flair. This piece includes functional Cavalier engineering thanks to its removable foot cap that also allows this piece to sit quite steadily. Dressed in a honey-blonde finish, the bowl displays fine tendrils of flame grain along the flanks and swirls of birdseye along the fore and aft.