'Ratna' Coaster Set of 6 in Printed Wood

Provenance

The Ratna coasters belong to the North Indian tradition of decorative woodware — wooden forms treated with surface print and sealed under a waterproof finish to produce objects that are functional and decorative in equal measure. Each coaster is individually cut in wood, its surface printed with a jewel ornamental pattern on a golden ground and sealed under lacquer. The tradition comes from workshops in Delhi NCR and western Uttar Pradesh, where artisans adapt the vocabulary of India's painted woodwork traditions to contemporary domestic forms.

The surface print on Ratna draws from the vocabulary of Indian ornamental jewellery — the faceted gem, the kundan setting, the radial form of the stonework that organises the surface of India's greatest jewelled objects. The jewel motif on each coaster sits on a warm golden ground; the ornament is dense at close range, luminous from a distance. Ratna in Sanskrit names the jewel as concentrated beauty — the luminous point that holds and refracts light differently from everything around it. In the Navaratna tradition of Mughal court culture, nine specific gems were held to embody cosmic forces; this ornamental vocabulary translates that concentrated, gem-ordered sensibility into a daily surface.

The waterproof surface makes these printed wood coasters suited to everyday use. The set of six decorative coasters is supplied in a matching storage box. Each piece is individually handcrafted; print placement and colour tone may vary slightly between pieces.

Disclaimer

• These coasters are handcrafted in wood with a printed surface. Variations in tone and colour are a natural feature of the process.
• Minor differences in print registration or surface texture should be understood as the signature of individual craft, not a defect.