Tom Eltang: Sandblasted Acorn with Horn 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. Sleek and elegant, this Acorn from Tom Eltang shows off the Danish pipe maker's affinity for balancing beauty and practicality. A sinuous curve underscores the entirety of the stummel from the upright bowl's front rim, around the softened heel, through the shank's swift upturn, and into the chaste downturn of the slim saddle stem. Such an undercurve balances the composition for comfortable jaw hanging. Faint striations of flame grain guide the eye up through stacks of growth rings encircling the bowl, tracing the walls' outline as the bowl gently flares up to its waist before beginning a subtle taper into the rim. Said rim is plump and finished smooth, with golden brown eddies of birdseye dancing around the circumference and framing a bowl of respectable capacity. A horn accent at the shank end provides a muted contrast to the black stain of the sandblasted stummel and the inky vulcanite stem.