Danish Estates: Tom Eltang Smooth Freehand with Bamboo (2006) Tobacco Pipe

Possessing decades of pipe-making experience, Tom Eltang is widely considered a master of the craft. He's influenced countless artisans from all over the world, and his work is often looked to as the high-water mark from which all other pipes are judged. Eltang produces a wide range of shapes, ranging from the sleek and minimalist to the more expressive and sculptural. This Freehand is Eltang working in the mode of the latter, and it perfectly highlights what makes the Dane's craftsmanship so appealing: stylish finishes, exacting line work, and sophisticated engineering.

Standing a top a flat, pedestal-like heel, the bowl flares toward a broad, sloped rim that favors the fore over the aft. The bowl's gestural pose lends the shape a dynamic posture in profile, one that's accentuated by the sinuous curl through the shank-and-stem arrangement. The shank is extended by four knuckles of bright, warm bamboo, the organic material immediately livening the overall composition. Each knuckle of the bamboo is evenly spaced, creating a visual rhythm from the transition to the shoulders of the demurely curved saddle stem. A smoky chestnut smooth finish dresses the stummel and highlights fine streaks of flame grain as they rise across the flanks of the bowl to a rim covered in birdseye.