'Madhu' Coaster Set of 6 in Printed Wood and Resin

Provenance

The Madhu coasters combine two techniques from the North Indian decorative woodware tradition: the surface-printed wooden base and the resin inlay process. Each coaster is individually cut in wood and printed with a botanical leaf pattern, then set with a small resin bee. The printed woodware tradition comes from workshops in Delhi NCR and western Uttar Pradesh; the resin inlay process — through which a three-dimensional form is sealed permanently into the surface of the object — extends this tradition by adding tactile depth and permanence to the decorative element.

The surface of each Madhu coaster holds two elements: the botanical leaf print on the wood base and the resin bee raised slightly above it. The bee (madhupa in Sanskrit — 'the honey-drinker') is a recurring figure in Indian botanical illustration and poetry: the emblem of the garden at its most alive, of spring in full bloom, of the relationship between flower and insect that the Sanskrit poets made central to their descriptions of the natural world. Each coaster in the set carries a slightly different leaf arrangement; the bee accent is consistent across all six, a small constant within a varied botanical field.

The waterproof resin finish makes these handmade coasters suited to everyday use. The set of six is supplied in a matching storage box. Each piece is individually handcrafted; variations in the resin surface and leaf arrangement between pieces are expected and natural.

Disclaimer

• These coasters are handcrafted in wood and resin. Variations in the resin surface and colour tone are natural features of the process.
• Minor differences in print placement or the leaf arrangement between pieces should be understood as the signature of individual craft, not a defect.