Tom Eltang: Smooth Horn Tobacco Pipe

Fluid and smoothly curved, this Horn from Tom Eltang demonstrates the Danish carver's facility with dynamic implied energy. The expansion of the briar at the end of the shank seems to coil the piece and set it for a forward-springing leap. It curls upward to meet the stem, which presents an offset expansion ring along its top in concert with the flicking gesture of the the shank. The wide rim is broadly populated by tight birdseye, and the contrast-stained grain presents an orientation that follows the undercurve of the composition. Sinuous in profile and effortless in hand, it's an example of the design modifications that can elevate a pipe when in the hands of an experienced and creative carver such as Tom Eltang.