Kaetara
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Hand-carved in Ceylon

Carved by handin Ceylon.Made to be inherited.

Relief panels, masks and sculptures from the carving villages of Sri Lanka, each one made by a single master over many weeks.

Explore the CollectionCommission a Piece
Ornate hand-carved wooden relief panel of a sacred goose among scrolling vines, under warm side-light
Hansa Relief PanelPlate I

For centuries the carvers of Ceylon have told stories in wood: in the pillars of Embekke, on palace doors, in the masks of village festivals.

We bring their work, unhurried and unaltered, to homes that value the hand that made it. Every piece arrives with the name of its artisan and the meaning of its motif.

The Making

From Timberto Heirloom

Four stages, unhurried. Nothing is cast, pressed or machine-routed.

  1. Raw hardwood boards stacked in a village workshop, late light

    I.

    The Timber

    Responsibly sourced, legally permitted Sri Lankan hardwoods, chosen board by board for grain, weight and the way they will take a chisel.

  2. A carver's hand sketching a Liyapatha scroll in charcoal on wood

    II.

    The Drawing

    Motifs are drawn freehand onto the timber, following forms handed down from temple tradition rather than templates.

  3. Close detail of a chisel lifting a curl of teak

    III.

    The Carving

    Cut by hand with chisels and mallet over many weeks. One master, one piece, from first cut to final detail.

  4. A finished panel being oiled by hand, warm raking light

    IV.

    The Finish

    Hand-oiled to deepen the grain, then signed by the artisan and documented with its provenance.

The Collections

Five ways into the craft

An ornate carved wooden relief panel, side-lit
I

Wall Panels

Relief carvings for walls that deserve a story.

A Raksha mask on dark linen, side-lit
II

Masks

and faces, carved and hand-painted.

A seated figure carved in ebony, deep shadow
III

Sculptures

Figures in the round, from devotional to elemental.

A small carved lotus box resting on a stone ledge
IV

Gifts

Smaller works, made with the same hands.

Carver's sketches pinned above an uncut board
V

Commissions

A piece made for one wall, one family.

Silhouette of a master carver at his bench, chisel in hand

The Artisan

“My father taught me to listento the wood before I cut it.The grain decides the goose.”

[Artisan name], [Village]

A third-generation carver, he works alone in a workshop beside his family home. Each Kaetara panel he makes takes between four and nine weeks, and carries his signature on the reverse.

Meet the makers

The Motifs

A vocabularycarved over centuries

Hansa

The sacred goose

Purity and grace: the bird said to separate milk from water.

Liyapatha

The vine

Abundance and continuity, a scroll without beginning or end.

Naga

The serpent guardian

Protection at thresholds, doorways and sacred places.

Nelum

The lotus

Awakening: rising clean from still, dark water.

Featured Pieces

Now in the gallery

View all pieces
Hansa Relief Panel, hand-carved Sri Lankan hardwood

Hansa Relief Panel

Sri Lankan hardwood, 24 × 14 in

$490

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Raksha Mask, hand-carved Kaduru wood, hand-painted

Raksha Mask

Kaduru wood, hand-painted, 16 × 11 in

$289

View piece
Seated Buddha, hand-carved Mahogany, hand-oiled

Seated Buddha

Mahogany, hand-oiled, 14 × 9 in

$390

View piece

Commissions

Have a wall that deservessomething singular?

Begin a Commission

Letters from Ceylon

New pieces, workshop notes and the occasional story, a few times a year.