Wooden Cycle Rickshaw Showpiece

About this piece

Wooden Cycle Rickshaw Showpiece — A little wooden cycle with a ladder-backed cart. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and given a contrast polish, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It measures about 8 in long. It costs PKR 1,450. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

A model cycle rickshaw cut from wood: handlebars and a saddle at the front, a ladder-sided cart behind, and three turned wheels that roll. It is the shape of the carts that still move fruit and furniture through every bazaar here, made small enough for a shelf. It is cut and fitted by hand, piece by piece — the ladder sides slotted rather than nailed, the wheels turned separately and pinned so they spin. Lighter and darker woods sit side by side, so the frame reads against the cart without any paint being used. It suits a shelf, a desk, a window sill or a counter, and the open cart takes a small plant, keys, pens, sweets or a tea light. It is also an easy, inexpensive gift, and the kind of thing people abroad ask for because it looks like home. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and worked individually, so grain, colour and the exact fit of the ladder sides vary from one to the next. Dust with a soft dry cloth, and keep it away from water and out of direct sunlight.

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.