Smooth Elephant's Foot with Horn (Snail) (M) Tobacco Pipe

One of the Danish master's most iconic Freehand shape designs, Tom Eltang's Elephant's Foot has seen a gradual, yet steady evolution over the years, seeing subtle tweaks here and there, softening the pointed heel, rendering the aft and fore all the more bulbous, and accordingly, the flanks distinctly more tapered. The shifts in shaping lend the composition all the more drama, as the ridges of the aforementioned flanks serve to crisply define a vast display of striated licks of flame, with birdseye filling the remaining stummel in totality. The upward-flicking motion of the shank is quite neat, leading the eye to the gentle flare of the dark horn mount. As a "Snail" grade, we're not likely to encounter such a superlative rendition of this shape for quite some time. As an already uncommon "M" grade, denoting an exceptionally gorgeous iteration of an already rarely-fashioned shape, this is the sort of pipe that calls to mind the phrase "once in a lifetime." A beautiful piece from Tom.

- Daniel Bumgardner