Lacquer statuettes, 'Sea Dream Turtles' (set of 3)

Dreaming of sandy Thai beaches, terrapins wear sea blue shells; they scan the sky with ruby eyes. Songmuang sculpts this trio of turtles, adorning them with glittering glass inlays. He carves each piece from rain tree wood and fires it at a low temperature for one or two days. After sanding it, he applies coats of lacquer and builds up the relief patterns with strands of putty. The artisan applies bits of colored glass and binds the elements with a final coat of lacquer.