carved wooden elephant

Hand-painted with a charming elephant motif, Subin Tositarat's luxurious lacquerware box adds vivid color and exemplary craftsmanship to your home decor. Thai artisans hand carve the decorative box from mango wood, coating the surface in glossy black lacquer before painting the elephant in bright colors.

Subin Tositarat's adorable round box is the perfect place for your favorite trinkets. Thai artisans hand carve the box from mango wood, coating the inside and outside with a glossy black lacquer. On the lid, a 24k gold foil elephant pops against the dark background.

Embellished with real gold, Subin Tositarat's beautiful decorative box makes a lovely piece of home decor. Thai artisans hand carve the box from mango wood, coating the inside and outside with a glossy black lacquer. On the lid, a 24k gold foil elephant pops against the dark background.

Presented by Subin Tositarat, this sleek lacquerware box is perfect for little odds and ends. Thai artisans hand carve the box from mango wood, coating the inside and outside with a glossy black lacquer. On the lid, a 24k gold foil elephant pops against the dark background.

Presented by Subin Tositarat, this decorative box is designed with a unique dome shape. Thai artisans hand carve the box from mango wood, coating the inside and outside with a glossy black lacquer. On the lid, a 24k gold foil elephant pops against the dark background.

Covered in gold foil and glossy black lacquer, Subin Tositarat's pair of decorative boxes add a touch of luxury to your home decor. Thai artisans hand carve the pair from mango wood, coating each box in lacquer before creating an elephant motif from 24k gold foil.

With its unique dome shape, Subin Tositarat's decorative box will add a bit of intrigue to your home decor. Thai artisans hand carve the box from mango wood, coating the inside and outside with a glossy black lacquer. On the lid, a 24k gold foil elephant pops against the dark background.

Leaning on a log, a whimsical elephant contemplates his role in Thailand's timber industry. Nantana Sompamitre crafts a charming pencil holder in gilded black lacquer. She carves rain tree wood into the desired shape and coats it with lacquer. Once dried it is polished, and another coat is applied – up to twenty times – before as many six coats of pure lacquer are present. The final layer is polished with powdered fired clay. The piece is gilded with a technique called lai rot nam. Sompamitre engraves the motif free-hand with a sharp tool, and the piece is dusted with a wooden powder. Then the background is covered with a gummy paint, and dusted again. A thin coat of lacquer is applied to the entire surface and, before it dries, gold leaves are placed over it and firmly pressed into place. Brass rings protect the openings.

Walking through a forest of golden foliage, a family of elephants enjoys a day of leisure. This scene of tradition is inspired by the mural paintings of central Thailand. Nantana Sompamitre hand-carves the statuette from mango wood and coats it with several layers of lacquer, which she prepares from the Gluta usitata tree and ashes of burnt rice paddy husks.

Sompamitre executes the moving scene with a traditional gilding technique called lai rot nam (watered pattern). First the patterns are engraved free-hand with a sharp-pointed tool, and then the piece is dusted with a wooden powder. The black background is covered with a yellow gummy paint, which comes from a tree resin that has been placed in water for a day. After that, a thin coat of lacquer is applied to the entire surface and, before it dries, gold leaf is placed over it. The piece is then left to dry for approximately 20 hours. Finally, the whole lacquerware is thoroughly rinsed in water rinsing out impurities or unattached gold leaf. The result is a piece of rich artistry, where shimmering gold engraved designs contrast against a high-gloss black background.