Armenian Backgammon Set - Grand Ornament

Armenian Backgammon Set - Grand Ornament

This is the most heavily carved folding board in our ornament series, and it does not keep one face for show: both sides carry a grand carved ornament. On the front, a flower opens inside a laurel ring, four palmettes and four scrolled leaves radiating in deep relief. On the back, an interlaced knot turns the same circle into pure Armenian line-work. Around them run shield-shaped lattice panels and a carved egg-and-dart edge, so there is no angle without detail.

Open it and the mood turns from dark to light: the points rise in pale wood against an espresso field, each tipped with a small palmette, and a two-tone carved ornament turns at the center of each half inside a ring of vines. Even the bronze hinges carry their own decoration.

What's Included

• Backgammon board with bronze hinges and clasps
• 32 checkers made from beech and walnut wood
• Dice and a carrying bag

Specifications

• Folded: 30 x 60 cm / 11.8 x 23.6"
• Open playing surface: 60 x 60 cm / 23.6 x 23.6"
• Weight: 5 kg / 11 lb
• Material: solid beech with bronze hinges and clasps
• Handmade in Armenia

Why it stands out

Deep relief is slow work. The carver has to remove everything that is not pattern, then texture the ground point by point until the ornament floats above its own shadow. The espresso finish makes the high edges glow while the recesses stay almost black.

It plays as well as it poses: a smooth two-tone field, checker troughs carved along the sides, and a case that closes with bronze clasps. Handmade in Armenia. For the player who wants the room to go quiet when the board comes out.