Tom Eltang: Smooth Natural Bent Dublin with Horn (Snail) Tobacco Pipe

Being an organic material, briar has natural cosmetic imperfections, most often taking the form of small pits where sand at one point embedded itself into the wood when it was underground. Large pits can obviously compromise the structural integrity of the briar, but smaller ones are merely "beauty spots," being purely aesthetic. While most pipes will often always show some sign of sandpits, carvers often mitigate the cosmetic detraction by sandblasting or rusticating the finish, or staining the pipe a darker hue. Such a reality of sandpits and cosmetic blemishes, including less than ideal grain orientation, makes smooth, natural-stained pipes a considerable rarity — such a finish necessitating briar that both shows few-to-no sandpits as well as choice grain.

Tom Eltang has found such briar in this bent Dublin. While the Danish carver has produced a number of virgin-finished pieces, most showcase his iconic rustication style, making this smooth piece something of a rarity. The vivid, natural finish reveals strands of concise flame grain across the stummel, rising and flaring in concert with the lines of the bowl. The rim is softly inflated, speckled with birdseye, and the overall shaping is typical of Eltang's soft-lined style. Though the grain and form make this pipe immediately commendable, Tom's choice of horn at the stem base completes the composition — the creamy hues of the accent beautifully complementing the stummel's natural palette. Furthermore, since it lacks any added color in the stain, the briar will darken as it's smoked, visually representing the years of enjoyment this pipe is sure to bring. It's a stunning piece, well deserving of his Snail grade.