Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Stag and Doe in the Mountains

Wooden Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Stag and Doe in the Mountains, by Hrachya Ohanyan

The moment before they bolt. Inside an oval frame ringed with rope at the centre of the cover, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved a stag standing in a mountain clearing with his head turned to look straight at you, antlers spread, and a doe lying at his side with her head up and her ears forward. A broad-leaved tree fills the left of the scene, a fir the right, peaks rise behind them and long grass runs across the front — all of it in deep relief on a finely stippled ground, so the animals stand out of the shadow the way they would at dusk. Around the oval runs a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels inside rope borders, the rims are stepped, and the whole board is stained a warm honey brown. A handmade wooden backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — the classic straight board, with a whole clearing on the lid.

Undo the cast-bronze clasps and the 23.6″ / 60 cm hand-carved wooden backgammon board opens on a carved wheel ornament in a scrolled ring at the heart of each half, pale points tipped with fleur-de-lys flourishes and an ornate bronze hinge on the centre bar. Thirty-two checkers in light and dark wood, a dice set and the branded carrying case come with it. This is the handmade backgammon board for the cabin with the antlers over the door, the man who would rather have animals than symbols on his table, and the couple who saw a stag and a doe once on a mountain road and never forgot it.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, carved from one piece, stained honey brown and varnished
• Motif: a stag and a doe in a mountain clearing — trees, peaks and grass — carved in deep relief on a stippled ground inside an oval rope-ringed frame; carved lattice field, lobed panels with rope edges; wheel ornaments and fleur-de-lys points inside
• Outline: classic, with carved stepped edges
• Hardware: cast-bronze hinges and clasps
• Entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Backgammon board with bronze hinges and clasps
• 32 checkers made from beech and walnut wood, with velvet bases
• Dice set
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Two animals, cut deep: the spread of the antlers, the turn of the stag's head, the doe's ears and the folds of her legs are all carved by hand in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop — and no two boards come out the same.
• A scene, not a symbol: tree, fir, peaks and grass make a whole clearing inside an oval the size of two hands, on a stippled ground that keeps the shadow behind the animals.
• Ready for the table: full-size 23.6″ / 60 cm board, checkers in light and dark wood, dice and a carrying case — open it and play.

Good to Know Before You Buy

How big is it? Open, the board is 23.6″ / 60 cm square — the standard full size for a living-room table. Closed, it is 23.6″ × 11.8″ / 60 × 30 cm and stands on its own edge.

Is the carving real? Yes. The stag and the doe, the trees, the peaks and the stippled ground, the lattice, the rope borders and the wheel ornaments inside are all cut into the wood by hand, not printed or pressed. The honey colour is a stain in the wood under the varnish.

What about shipping and returns? Shipping is free to the US, Canada and Europe, always tracked; other countries pay a flat $100 (Brazil, Chile and New Zealand $200). Every set is covered by our 30-day returns.

Can I add a name or a date? Yes — choose the engraving option on this page and tell us the text. A name or a date turns it into a personalized backgammon set, and it is the detail people remember years later.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sun and away from radiators, wipe with a dry soft cloth, and store it closed in the case.

The Stag on the Mountain

Deer are the oldest pictures in Armenia. On the rock faces of Ughtasar, high in the Syunik mountains, hunters scratched thousands of them into the basalt five and six thousand years ago — stags with antlers like branching trees, does beside them, dogs and bowmen in pursuit. Master Ohanyan carves the same pair the way a mountain road shows them to you today: the stag stopped and looking back, the doe lying in the grass, the trees and the peaks behind. In the workshop the deer boards are the ones that go to hunters, to fathers and sons, and to couples — a stag and a doe together, on a lid that opens onto a game two people play. On a nardi board it is a piece of the mountain, closed, on a shelf.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

In 1985, National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine wood craft, introducing a new approach to the age-old traditions of woodworking. After many years of dedication, the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop was established in 2010. Every board passes through 14 stages of production, with 14 separate craftsmen leaving their mark before it reaches its finished form — a piece of wood artistry admired both in Armenia and around the world. Read the story of master Hrachya Ohanyan or explore the full Hrachya Ohanyan backgammon collection.

A Gift That Lasts Generations

For a hunter, a cabin, a silver anniversary or the father who taught you to walk quietly in the woods, a hand-carved wooden backgammon set with a stag and a doe on the lid is the backgammon gift set that goes with the antlers over the door. We send it at Christmas, for birthdays and to anyone who lives far from the mountains. It gets opened, played and passed on.