Fancy Lacquer Box

About this piece

Fancy Lacquer Box — A round lidded box in dense naqshi. 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 3,200. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

A round lidded box turned in one piece and covered edge to edge in the densest scratchwork the workshop does — bands of pattern running round the body, and a worked medallion filling the lid. Made in teal and in red. Density is the whole difficulty. The lac is melted on in layers while the box spins on the khraad, and every line in the pattern is then cut back through those layers with the sathrī, the iron tool that opens the furrow so the colour beneath opens up. On a plain piece the artisan leaves ground between the lines; here there is almost none, which means a slip anywhere shows against everything around it and the piece cannot be corrected, only started again. The lid is turned to seat flush and the pattern is set out so it continues across the join. It holds rings, a tasbeeh, dry fruit or mithai, and it is as often bought to sit out on a shelf as to be used, because at this level of work the box is the object. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and cut individually, so no two lids carry the same medallion. Dust with a soft dry cloth, keep water and polish sprays off the lac, and keep it out of direct sunlight so the colour stays true. A name or a date can be worked into the lid 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.