Smooth Bent Dublin with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Striking straight grain, a beautiful, rich, and contrasted finish, and yet what impresses me the most about this bent Dublin by Tom Eltang is the composition of the shape itself. From a marvelously landscaped crown of craggy plateau, the body of the piece simply tumbles languidly into a luxurious S-curve that begins at the heel of the pipe and ends at its vulcanite bit. The horn mount which caps the shank terminus adds to its shapeliness by stepping down the line and altering the degree of taper in a delicate, handsomely executed manner, and with a flash of streaked, creamy hues. For its size, the pipe is lighter than one might expect, which is really just demonstrative of the high quality of briar with which the pipe maker chooses to work. At that, this piece makes for a superb example of the caliber of pipe Eltang produces. This is indeed a lovey piece from the Danish carver.

-- Ted Swearingen