Tom Eltang's bent Dublin renditions aren't typically quite like this one. Though he does occasionally opt to forego the style, the carver's forms of this nature tend to be flourishing, fairly sinuous numbers, defined by a singular, sweeping line all along the underside from bit to rim. This piece sees the Danish pipemaker taking a sleeker, more streamlined approach, keeping things low and forward as the underside of the shank flows gradually and consistently into the bowl's fore, offering a soft aesthetic and decreasing the heel's visual weight in favour of the tightly-canted bowl's upward expansion. Offering a clean, minimalist style, the shaping seems to evoke a sense of Art Deco-ness in its angularity, especially when paired to an accent ring of creamy, multi-hued mammoth bone and a classic contrast stain that highlights all of the whirls of birdseye and fine striations of flame grain that one would expect from one of Tom's Snail grade pipes.

— Adam M. O'Neill