wood craft

Ketut Sri from Bhakti Senang Hati crafts this stunning mask depicting Barong, a mythological lion-like creature of ancient Bali. The admirable sculpture and its stand are carved by hand from crocodile wood with its unique grain. "I was born with poliomyelitis that made both my legs weak", explains artisan Ketut Sri. "Now I use a wheelchair. I joined Bhakti Senang Hati in 2002 when the foundation had just been established, and there I met my husband, who also suffer from polio. We have one daughter that has epilepsy and one son who is in kindergarten now. I create the masks myself, and my husband helps in preparing the raw material. I hope customers will like my hand-carveed mask that introduces our culture and that will also support our future."

Kings and queens battle in a game of luck and strategy presented by Asha Prabha from India. Crafted by a talented artisan team, this Ludo game features an embroidered ecru cotton flex board ornamented with diverse traditional details made from rayon and zari threads. Red, green, yellow and blue hues identify each kingdom, while Indian elm wood pieces painted by hand complete the game to start a fun but challenging match. In addition, the set has a brocade pouch to store the board and a little faux velvet purse for the pieces.

Throughout Central Asia, the merchant's trade was esteemed for the wealth it brought, as their products found their way to all corners of the globe. This stunning figurine by Tajik artisan Kodir Egamov portrays a typical vendor on a donkey with two barrels filled with goods. Crafted from birch wood and pinewood, it is an exceptional decorative piece, expertly hand-painted and coated with lacquer, ensuring a polished, lasting finish.

Depicting a meeting between lovers Rama and Sita from the Hindu epic Ramayana, this fan is crafted by hand from silk stretched across segments of brown mahogany. The motifs present on the fan are achieved using the Kamasan hand-painting technique, which originates in the Kungklung region of Bali. Presented by Wiracana Hand Fan, the traditional fan arrives with a tassel and a polyester storage pouch in brick.

Hand-carved from regional albesia wood, this mancala board is covered in vivid colours and intricately designed motifs. Balinese artist Gunadi utilizes parang batik, one of the oldest batik motifs in Indonesia. Parang comes from the word pereng which means slope. Perengan depicts a diagonal line descending from high to low. The unbroken intertwining S motifs symbolize continuity.