Danish Estates: Tom Eltang Smooth Apple (Snail) (2023) Tobacco Pipe

At sixteen, Eltang began three years of training under Anne Julie before gaining another three years of valuable wisdom repairing pipes with Pipe Dan. This was followed by a stint with Stanwell touring Europe to demonstrate pipemaking, after which he set off on his own path. Eltang's work tends to be characterized by his adherence to Danish Functionalist aesthetic standards, with an emphasis on clean lines and functionality over frills. The balanced proportions and elegant linework forming this Apple from Eltang work together to affect simple elegance. Eddies of birdseye along the softened heel bubble over the robust waist into the flame grain that surrounds the bowl, streaming across plump walls forming an inflated taper into the rim. From the fore of this thin rim, the pipe's silhouette takes a wide swing around the plump bowl and wide heel before straightening out through the shank and stem. The elliptical shank grows wide out of an open transition. Said transition's defined cheeking, along with the shank's placement low on the bowl, functions to accentuate the bowl's curves. When viewing the pipe from an aerial perspective, one can see that the shank — wide and adorned with intricate webs of swirling birdseye — lends balance to the plumpness of the bowl. For its exemplary grain and shaping, this pipe has been awarded Eltang's most prestigious grade, Snail. The stummel wears a rich, golden brown smooth stain.