Danish Estates: Tom Eltang Smooth Acorn Tobacco Pipe

A man obsessed with fine pipes since the age of six, Tom Eltang has become one of the most respected artisan carvers in the world, his nearly five-decade-long career and commitment to both functional and aesthetic perfection earning him a stellar reputation in the pipe world. His breadth of experience includes apprenticing under Anne-Julie at only 16 years old, repairing pipes for Pipe-Dan, and working as a traveling carver for Stanwell, all the while carving pipes of his own. His work comprises a variety of shapes, all in his Danish Functionalist-inspired style, with this Acorn serving as an excellent example of his unique approach to design.

Acorns are rather uncommon from Eltang, and this particular example is especially noteworthy, as it features a build that we've never quite seen before, eschewing his usually more plump and sinuous style in favor of one that emphasizes straight, aerodynamic lines. The bowl here is rather like a Pickaxe, if only because it showcases a plunging heel spur that looks fairly sharp in profile and is possessed of an appreciable height. The waistline here is appropriately high-set, and the walls here showcase only the faintest of flares and tapers, the rim overlooking a capacious chamber. The shank has been extended appreciably compared to both a standard Acorn and Eltang's usual work, comprising a sleek taper from a low-set transition that sees the entire length rising to meet a demurely downturned saddle stem with an expansion ring at its base. This high-reaching combination does quite well to balance out the presence of the bowl, its slender reach extending the length of this pipe but still keeping it under six inches long, while its streamlined outline builds a momentum that terminates in the bowl's slight forward cant. Dressed in one of Eltang's signature contrast stains, this piece showcases some wonderful flame grain that follows the flanks of the shank and wraps around the ample curves of the bowl, with birdseye peppering the top and underside.