Smooth Ramses (Snail) (M) Tobacco Pipe

Tom Eltang's influence on the world of pipe making is unquestionable, and his name is often brought up by younger pipe makers as a pivotal influence. With almost 50 years of experience and a prolific work ethic, the Danish artisan produces shapes both classic and unique with equal skill and brings that talent to bear here with a stunning Ramses. The shape was first made by the late Swedish carving legend Bo Nordh, whose devotion to and skill in reading briar grain were remarkable. We've actually never received a rendition of this shape before from Eltang, making it both special and desirable, especially given the "M" stamping — a designation earned by only his most superlative Snail-grade pipes — which graces the stummel here.

The Ramses is an extremely difficult shape to make, and it's even harder to make properly, necessitating an excellent block of briar, and an incredible steadiness of hand working patiently to keep everything lined up. Named after its resemblance to the bust of Ramses II in Abu Simbel, Egypt, the Ramses is characterized by its elongated, sweeping shank that spreads out, wall-like at the aft, rising high in a nearly vertical curve that additionally acts as the heel. The other defining feature of this pipe is the bowl, which pushes out from the fore seamlessly, as if it were vertically mounted to the shank. All of this Eltang accomplishes easily, though he then decides to further stylize the difficult shape, here lending the shank further curvature and extending it upward to meet a well-bent half-saddle stem. A thin panel follows the outline of the shank from the end to the heel on either side, and this panel is continued in the stem base, which lifts away from the bit and arcs in a domed shape to the other side, creating an unbroken panel and lending the shape an even more striking sense of line.

The bowl here urges out of the shank with a pair of ridges near its top that sweep down and around the body of the bowl to mark its rim, meeting each other at the fore and creating a sharp point that marks the start of a single descending ridge which plunges down to meet the heel's point. There's a beautiful interplay between the sweeping, fluid curvature of this pipe and its rigidly defined angles, and each element of its construction is fantastically cohesive, creating a composition that's not only impeccably carved, but full of beautiful grain. Yes, the aforementioned necessity of exceptional briar is evidenced by the nature of this form: It's meant to showcase a vast ocean of birdseye at the aft, with plenty of cross grain at the flanks and a birdseye basin at the fore of the bowl. Not only has Tom accomplished this nearly effortlessly, but has done so with striking clarity, dressing this pipe in a minimalist, natural finish that's sure to darken with patina as it is smoked. More than worthy of its "M" stamp, this Ramses is one of Eltang's best works to date.