intricate carving

Depicting a mother with a child slung over her back as she pours water from a bowl, this intriguing and intricate sculpture from Ghana is designed by Victoria Agyepomaa. She works with local artisans who hand-carve the sculpture of sese wood with a two-tone finish in brown. The sculpture is named Yaa Maame, Yaa being the name of a girl born on Thursday and Maame being a name given to mothers.

Evoking traditional African fertility dolls, this sculpture is created by Ghanaian artisan Joseph Boateng. He carefully hand-carves this sculpture from sese wood, depicting two lovers that sit side-by-side on a bench. One holds a baby in her arms, but they both hold each other, as their heads stretch upward and join together. This sculpture is given a black polished finish, accented with pieces of intricately embossed aluminum.

Evoking a sense of connection and serenity, this endearing figurine hand-carved from rain tree depicts a touching scene between a baby elephant and his mother. The skillful portrayal of the elephants and intricate details of the wood's grains and texture make this decorative accent presented by Thailand’s Amporn a must-have for your collection.

Growing up surrounded by a family of artisans, J.S. Anderson devotes his artistic career to exploring the new possibilities offered by polymer clay. Working with Meili W., he diligently forms the clay by hand into tubes that feature colorful and imaginative designs. Cross sections are cut from these tubes and carefully applied on the body of this sculpture that depicts a mother penguin and her young. The loving duo is decorated with elaborate designs and patterns that include penguin motifs along the mother's back and whale designs on her belly. J.S. Anderson has worked for 25 years to perfect this millefiori-style technique, which has allowed him to create intricate and amazing designs on his sculptures. Each pattern on this sculpture is diligently arranged by the artisans through a painstaking process to ensure perfection.

Exemplifying strength, grace and love, there is perhaps no symbol more beautiful than a woman caring for her young child. Joseph Boateng creates a relief panel depicting a Ghanaian woman with her child on her back. Her traditional dress is hand-painted in cheerful blue and red, and other details like her intricately-braided hair are carved with expert precision. The artisan works in seasoned sese wood.