decorative wooden animals

With poised elegance, a goldfish becomes an object of admiration as a sculpture from Eka. The fish is carved by hand from suar wood with admirable detail to the gills, fins and face, resulting in a vivid sculpture.

Carved from crocodile wood and painted by hand, this beautiful box by Gung Gus depicts Anggada, son of Subali, amid butterflies and lotus blossoms. The Hindu epic Ramayana tells how Sugriwa and his brother Subali bathed in the enchanted lake of the forest, thus turning into monkeys and becoming kings of different kingdoms. They helped Rama rescue Sita from the evil king Rahwana. Gung Gus creates the lovely design.

Carved from crocodile wood and painted by hand, this diminutive box depicts Subali amid birds and flowers. Gung Gus creates the lovely design. The Hindu epic Ramayana tells how Sugriwa and his brother Subali bathed in the enchanted lake of the forest, thus turning into monkeys and becoming kings of different kingdoms. They helped Rama rescue Sita from the evil king Rahwana.

Balinese artisan Sarwaedi presents this charming decorative box, inspired by the Indonesian island of Serangan. The island is known primarily for its population of turtles, depicted here in a veritable turtle paradise. The artisan hand-carves clouds, reeds, and water and applies subtle touches of gilt and colored paints to emphasize the design.

Powerful and beautiful, Naga the dragon and Garuda the eagle symbolize vigorous spirits to the Balinese people. Seji Taram transforms suar wood into an exquisitely detailed panel as he carves it by hand with absolute artistic mastery. According to one of the many Balinese Hindu-Buddhist customs, the dragon represents the relationship between kings and priests, and effigies of the mystical creature are included for their cremation, for it is believed Naga will guide their soul so they may find their way to the next world.

"To me, dragons symbolize the vigorous spirit of the Balinese people when facing adversity," confides Seji Taram. Expert in the depiction of dragons, Taram depicts twin dragons under the yin-yang symbol of duality. He carves the suar wood wall panel with exquisite detailed artistry. According to one of the many Balinese Hindu-Buddhist customs, the dragon represents the relationship between kings and priests, and effigies of the mystical creature are included for their cremation, for it is believed Naga will guide their soul so they may find their way to the next world.

Carved from crocodile wood and painted by hand, this diminutive box depicts Sugriwa amid birds and flowers. Gung Gus creates the lovely design. The Hindu epic Ramayana tells how Sugriwa and his brother Subali bathed in the enchanted lake of the forest, thus turning into monkeys and becoming kings of different kingdoms. They helped Rama rescue Sita from the evil king Rahwana.

Jaifah Aksornsri invokes the presence of Huang, the mythological bird of east Asia that reigns over all other birds. Originally there was a male version too, Feng which later was fused with Huang and therefore became known as Fenghuang, a female entity to be paired with the Chinese dragon. Together they augur a blissful marriage as they represent husband and wife. Fenghuang is known in the West as the Chinese phoenix and she symbolizes the concept of yin and yang, as well as high virtue and grace. Fenghuang's beauty is captured with magnificent artistry in this hand-carved rain tree wood sculpture. Includes an iron stand.

Masterfully hand-carved by Balinese artisan Sarwaedi, this decorative mahogany vase depicts the mythical Javanese creature Anantaboga. Ancient legend maintains that when Bali was created, the dragon god Anantaboga entered the bottom layer of the earth and thus became the support of the island. The artisan gives the vase an antiqued look with the application of paints in brown, black, green and gold.

This masterfully carved decorative vase from Sarwaedi of Bali was inspired by the Javanese legend of Naga Baru Klinting. The subtle application of paint and gilded accents give the vase the appearance of a treasured antique.

According to the legend, Baru Klinting was a dragon who promised a sage that he could circle the whole Merapi Volcano in Central Java to prove that he was the sage's son, but failed to do so. The dragon used his tongue instead, which enraged the sage, and the sage swung a sword to cut his tongue. The dragon fell to the earth. Then people living near the volcano cut up the dragon's body and took it home to make a feast. Suddenly, a midget appeared and put a stick in the earth, and said that he would take all of the dragon's meat if no one was capable of removing the stick. People tried because they didn't want to lose their chance for a feast, but none were able to do it. The midget then removed the stick from the ground, and suddenly in that spot water started to flood the whole village, turning the village into a spring that is present to this day. Later on, another sage revealed that the midget was the soul of the dragon, enraged with the people that tried to eat his body.

Indian artisan Sajad handcrafts a decorative box of weeping willow wood with a highly polished layer of papier mache on top. Hand-painted gold-tone chinar leaf motifs offer refuge to a pair of birds at the center. The box opens to a single-compartment interior in black.

Working in aluminum repoussé, Nantana Sompamitre details elegant plumage. These hand-carved boxes take the form of peacocks. Serenely beautiful, the petite pair is an extraordinary example of traditional Thai lacquer work.