Blue Naqshi Round Table

About this piece

Blue Naqshi Round Table — A blue-and-white lacquered round table. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and coloured lac and finished in naqshi lac, the pattern scratched back through the colour, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It costs PKR 10,000. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

A round occasional table finished in deep blue lac, with the pattern scratched back through the colour so the whole top reads as one drawn medallion rather than a painted picture. The naqshi method is what makes it. The table is turned on the khraad, and while it is still spinning a battī — a stick of coloured lac — is pressed against the wood — the friction melts it on in a layer. More colour goes on over the first. Then, still on the lathe, the artisan cuts back through those layers with the sathrī, the iron tool that opens the furrow, and the line that opens up shows the colour beneath. Nothing is drawn on top; every white line on this table is wood and lac revealed, not paint added. The bands are set out freehand, which is why they tighten and loosen slightly as they move out from the centre. The stem and the foot are worked to match the top. It is the size for beside a chair or a bed — a lamp, a cup, a book. The blue sits cool against a warm room, and against the sheesham that shows at the rim and foot. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and worked individually, so no two tops carry exactly the same pattern. Dust it with a soft dry cloth and keep it out of direct sunlight; water, polish sprays and chemical cleaners lift lac. A name or a date can be scratched into the border on request.

Every piece is made by hand, so the wood grain, carving and colour vary a little from the photo. That variation is normal and is what makes each one its own.