Serving Tray Set (3 Pieces)

About this piece

Serving Tray Set (3 Pieces) — three nesting trays, small to large. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and carved by hand, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It measures 12 / 14 / 16 in long. It costs PKR 6,000. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

Three serving trays in graduated sizes — twelve, fourteen and sixteen inches long — that stack inside one another for storage, with the border of each carved by hand. The carving is kept to the border on purpose. A fully carved tray floor looks impressive and is useless: cups sit unevenly on it and anything liquid collects in the cuts. Leaving the floor flat and smooth and working the rim means the tray still functions as a tray, while the carving does its job around the edge where it is seen and where nothing stands. The rims are raised enough to stop a cup walking off when the tray is carried. Use the large one for tea for a room, the middle for a plate and a glass, the small one for dry fruit or a single cup at a bedside. Nested, all three take the cupboard space of the largest. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and carved individually, so the border pattern shifts between trays and between sets. Dust with a soft dry cloth and a dry brush into the carving; wipe spills away rather than letting them stand, keep polish sprays and chemical cleaners off the wood, and do not put them in a dishwasher.

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.