Smooth Bent Egg with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

When Tom Eltang fashions the Egg shape he often imbues it with a generous amount of dynamism, exhibited in a forward cant and serpentine form. Such a posture is clearly evident in this sinuously bent piece offered here. Starting at the bit, the profile flows forward through a gradually flaring transition, creating some plump cheeks at the bowl's rotund base. In keeping with the inherent momentum, the rim is parallel to the horizontal plane while the bowl's vertical axis tilts forward. Within lies a deep and slender chamber, the walls, then, thick and insulating to keep the briar comfortably warm in hand. It's a piece that's full of Eltang's Danish-style charm — supple curves and gentle lines defining the form — with a suddenly flaring ferrule of boxwood for a mount at the shank-end. It's a departure from Tom's conventional use of horn as a mount, but one that's welcome as it lends a dose of brightness to the dark contrast stain, blending with the lighter portions of the stain that bring to life each and every feathery tendril of grain.