Smooth Bent Egg Tobacco Pipe

This bent Egg from Tom Eltang is recognizable from across the room as a Danish pipe, with a soft, gestural profile, subtle cheeking at the transition, an undercurve to the shank, and faithful adherence to the briar's grain all working together to exude organicism. It looks almost as if this pipe grew from a tree instead of coming together in a workshop, and such is the skill of Tom Eltang, an artisan with nearly 50 years of pipe-making experience who trained under the likes of Anne Julie. Tom's work is now known worldwide, and with pieces like this stunning smooth rendition, it's easy to see why younger carvers come to him for advice on how to advance their craft.

The first thing that catches my eye is the beautiful flame grain racing up the bowl's flanks, and Tom made it impossible to miss, using a stunning contrast stain and glossy smooth finish to bring every tight striation into stark prominence. Birdseye packs the top and underside of a broad, softly oval shank, and no matter which way I turn the pipe, it shows me exquisite grain I can't look away from. There are no hard lines on this pipe; the rim is nearly flat but inflated just slightly to let the eye slide smoothly across. The stem is hand-cut from a single rod of vulcanite, and both tapers and turns downward very gently, maintaining the width and oval profile of the shank as it languidly stretches toward the lip button. A pipe of pure, beautiful functionalism, this pipe needs neither adornment nor exaggerated proportions; it embodies exalted simplicity and will be the crown jewel of any collection.