'Sumana' Wooden Napkin Holder in Printed Wood and Resin

Provenance

The Sumana napkin holder belongs to the North Indian tradition of decorative woodware — wooden forms treated with surface print and sealed under resin to produce objects that combine function with ornament. The construction combines a wood body, surface print sealed under resin, and metal edge fittings. The technique comes from workshops in Delhi NCR and western Uttar Pradesh, where the vocabulary of India's older painted and lacquered woodwork is adapted to contemporary domestic forms through print and resin processes.

The surface print on Sumana draws from the floral vocabulary of Indian decorative ornament — the flowering forms that appear across Hindu and Buddhist iconography, Mughal garden design, and the painted surfaces of the North Indian workshop tradition. Sumana in Sanskrit names the flower as something beautiful and auspicious: the offering flower, the garland, the blossom that carries cultural weight beyond its appearance. In Sanskrit poetic tradition, sumana specifically names the flowers gathered for temple offerings and ceremonial use — flowers that have been cultivated for their beauty and their capacity to stand as gifts.

The resin-sealed surface is waterproof and suited to everyday table use. Each piece is individually handcrafted; print placement may vary slightly between pieces.

Disclaimer

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