Tom Eltang: Smooth Elephant's Foot with Horn (Snail) Tobacco Pipe

Tom Eltang's Elephant's Foot is one of the Danish artisan's most readily identifiable shapes, and like the Blowfish, has to be carved from a block of briar well-suited for such a complex design, as the grain orientation is paramount. As such, crisp paneling is used to frame areas of birdseye and cross-grain in a neat, tidy display. The shape itself is attributed to Bo Nordh, with many pipe makers subsequently crafting their own artistic interpretations.

The Elephant's Foot is characterized by a tapered bowl, with slightly convex aft and fore sections, while the center is wrapped by a crisply lined facet. The flanking panels feature parallel cross grain, while the aforementioned curved fore and aft portions frame a wealth of birdseye. This piece also maintains Eltang's use of horn as a shank extension, shaping it so that it curves upward to meet the gracefully arcing stem. The end of the horn ferrule flares softly, while the stem's expansion disc echoes the horn's flare. The artisan has dressed this piece in a rich auburn contrast stain and has deemed it worthy of his highest grade, the Snail.