Smooth Lovat with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Perhaps one of the most recognized names in pipe making, Tom Eltang is a prolific Danish artisan whose career spans over four decades and whose breadth of experience is nothing short of astonishing. Tom has always held a deep appreciation for the art of pipe making, as well as the art inherent in pipes themselves, recalling memories of gazing longingly at pictures that were displayed in the window of a local pipe store at the ripe age of six. At age eleven he carved his first pipe from a Pipe-Dan kit, though his first real experience with the pipe world was at age 16, when he became apprenticed to Anne-Julie. After this, he additionally worked for Pipe-Dan as a pipe repairer, then for Stanwell as a traveling carver, eventually starting his own workshop and carving pipes under his name. His immense talent is on display in every piece he crafts, and especially so in this Lovat.

The bowl of this piece is possessed of a gentle taper from a low-set waistline that terminates in a softly inflated rim, with its walls showcasing a supple bulge to their build that both softens its presence visually and in hand. This bowl rests on a firm, sweeping heel which reinforces its rather tall stature, but also cants it forward a bit, making the usually stoic shape quite dynamic in profile and livening up the composition a good bit. The transition here is subtly cheeked, and the lines of the bowl continue through this quite well, accentuating the plumpness of the bowl itself and speaking to Tom's skill and keen sense of line. Ebbing out of this transition is the shank, which is subtly tapered, and this taper continues through the base of the stem. This kind of attention to detail is one of the reasons why Eltang is a legend in his field, and this minutiae creates a sense of wonder about the pipe as a whole, with each viewing having the potential of revealing some hitherto unseen facet of its construction.

The stem here is a trim black saddle, something iconic to the timeless form, and its base has here been adorned with a broad band of horn that provides a wonderful contrast against the hues of the stummel. Speaking of which, the stain that Tom has given the briar here is incredible: A glossy contrast stain that reveals dense streaks of flame and straight grain wrapping around the bowl and running down both flanks of the shank, bursting out from the mahogany background with their dark, chestnut coloration, while the underside is awash with dense birdseye.