Sailing Ship Backgammon Set with Contour Outline and Epoxy Sea

Sailing Ship Backgammon Set with Contour Outline and Epoxy Sea by Hrachya Ohanyan

A tall ship under full sail — three masts, every sail bellied and every line cut — carved in relief on a stippled disc, the sea beneath her hull poured in blue resin. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, contour outline. Handmade in beech, 32 checkers, dice and a branded case.

This is the board for the sailor's study, the harbour flat, and the player who wants a picture on the lid without the walnut price. The ship is cut standing off the disc: the hull with its rows of gunports, the bowsprit reaching forward, the sails stacked mast over mast and left pale against the stained ground, and under them a sea of pearl-blue resin polished level, its swirls reading as swell. A rope-and-bead ring frames the disc; star stipple and diamond lattice run to the scrolled edge.

Open, the stain gives way to pale beech in every other point, each tipped with a fleur-de-lys, a pale petal wheel in scrolls on each half and a stamped brass hinge on the bar; the back carries a chequerboard of pale and stained squares between two eternity whirls in relief. For the retirement from the merchant navy, the model-ship builder, and the player who wants the sea on the table.

Specifications

• Size open: 60 × 60 cm / 23.6″ × 23.6″
• Size folded: 60 × 30 cm / 23.6″ × 11.8″
• Material: beech wood, stained walnut brown and varnished, the sails, points and chequer squares left pale; blue epoxy resin in the sea
• Carving: a three-masted sailing ship under full sail — hull, gunports, bowsprit, sails and rigging — in relief on a stippled disc, the sea beneath poured in pearl-blue epoxy resin, sanded flush and polished, inside a rope-and-bead ring; cusped panels of chip-carved star stipple, diamond lattice and rope-and-bead borders to the scrolled contour edge; back cover with a chequerboard of pale and stained squares between two eternity whirls in relief; points alternating pale and stained with fleur-de-lys tips, and pale petal wheels in scrolled rings inside
• Outline: Contour — scrolled edges with swelling shoulders and curled corners
• Hardware: brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark, cast-bronze clasps
• Craftsmanship: entirely handmade by Hrachya Ohanyan

What's Included

• Hand-carved backgammon board with an epoxy sea, carved on both covers
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Wood ship, glass sea: the ship and her sails are carved from the beech and left pale, and the water under her is resin poured level with the disc, so the one picture is cut in two ways.
• A game on the back too: turn the closed board over and there is a chequerboard of pale and stained squares between two carved whirls, so the second cover is as worked as the first.
• 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 sea painted? No — it is epoxy resin, poured into the lowered ground beneath the ship's hull, left to cure and then sanded flush and polished, with the pearl swirl in the resin itself. The ship, her sails and the stipple around the disc are carved from the beech, the board is stained walnut brown and varnished, and the points and petal wheels inside are left pale. 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.