Luxury Pomegranates and Ararat Walnut Backgammon Set, Hand-Painted

Luxury Pomegranates and Ararat Walnut Backgammon Set, Hand-Painted by Hrachya Ohanyan

Five pomegranates on a golden field, two split to their seeds, the twin peaks of Ararat behind, painted in oils edge to edge under clear epoxy. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ luxury Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in walnut, resin-filled points inside, 32 checkers, dice from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the Armenian kitchen with the fruit bowl, the diaspora wedding, and the player who wants the two things every Armenian house has — the pomegranate and the mountain — on one lid. The fruit is painted fat and glossy, seeds spilling across the striped ground, the mountain pale lilac and cream under a yellow sky; a pour of clear epoxy over the oils gives the whole scene the depth of glass, and a rope-and-bead border frames it in the walnut.

Inside, the points are filled with sky-blue resin swirled like water under carved scroll tips, the petal wheel on each half sits in a ring of blue-filled scrolls, and a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark holds the bar; the back carries a chequerboard of resin and walnut squares between two eternity whirls. For the harvest table, the christening, and the player who wants Armenia painted, not carved.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: walnut wood, natural colour, varnished; oil painting under clear epoxy resin, blue resin in the points
• Decoration: five pomegranates, two split open, on a striped golden field with the twin peaks of Mount Ararat behind, painted by hand in oils across the whole cover and sealed under clear epoxy; rope-and-bead border; back cover with a chequerboard of blue-and-red resin and walnut squares, two eternity whirls filled with resin and diamond lattice; points and petal wheels in scrolled rings filled with sky-blue resin inside
• Outline: Classic — straight edges and square corners
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Walnut backgammon board with a hand-painted cover under epoxy
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• A painting, framed in walnut: the pomegranates and Ararat are oils on the wood itself, edge to edge inside a carved rope border, and the epoxy over them is polished like the glass on a picture.
• Blue under every checker: the points and wheels inside are poured with sky-blue resin and polished flush, so the lid's sky carries on into the game.
• Make it theirs: add a name or a date at checkout to mark a birthday, a retirement or years of games together.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Is the pomegranate scene printed? No — it is painted by hand in oils straight onto the walnut cover, then poured over with clear epoxy, cured and polished, so the brushwork sits under a hard, glassy layer; the painter's tones vary a little from board to board. The points and wheels inside are filled with blue resin. Nothing is printed or applied.

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 policy.

How do I look after it? Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Wipe with a dry, soft cloth and store it closed in its carrying case.

About the Artist - Hrachya Ohanyan

National Master Hrachya Ohanyan began his fine woodcraft in 1985 and founded his workshop in Yerevan in 2010. This board belongs to his collection of wooden backgammon sets, each one made by hand by the craftspeople of that workshop. Read Hrachya Ohanyan's story or explore the full backgammon collection.

Also known as nardi (нарды), nardy, tavla or shesh besh.