Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Grape Cluster

Armenian Backgammon Set Hand Carved - Grape Cluster, by Hrachya Ohanyan

One bunch, ripe, the size of your hand. Inside a round frame ringed with rope and beads at the centre of the cover, master Hrachya Ohanyan carved a single cluster of grapes hanging from a curling vine — every grape rounded and polished so it catches the light, a broad veined leaf above it, tendrils twisting away to the side — all standing in deep relief off a finely stippled ground that keeps the shadow. Around the frame runs a field of fine carved lattice between lobed panels edged in rope, the rims are stepped, and the whole board is stained a warm honey brown. A handmade Armenian backgammon set hand-carved from a single piece of beech at the full 23.6″ / 60 cm — the classic straight board, with the harvest 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 family that makes its own wine, the kitchen with the grape arbour over the back door, and the friend who brings a bottle from Areni every time he visits.

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 single grape cluster with vine leaf and tendrils carved in deep relief on a stippled ground inside a round rope-and-bead 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
• Handmade in Armenia 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

• Every grape, rounded by hand: the cluster is cut and polished grape by grape in the Hrachya Ohanyan workshop, the leaf veined, the tendrils lifted clear of the stippled ground — and no two boards come out the same.
• One motif, room to breathe: a single bunch in a round frame on a lattice field — the plainest of the fruit boards, and the easiest to live with on any table.
• 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 grapes, the leaf and tendrils and the stippled ground, the lattice, the rope and beaded 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 Vine

Armenia has been making wine longer than anyone can prove for anywhere else. In a cave near the village of Areni, in Vayots Dzor, archaeologists found a press, fermentation jars and grape seeds more than six thousand years old — the oldest known winery in the world — and the Book of Genesis has Noah planting the first vineyard on the slopes of Ararat when the flood went down. Every August, on the feast of the Assumption, Armenian priests bless the new grapes before anyone eats them, and every October the villages of Areni smell of crushed fruit. Master Ohanyan carves the bunch the way it hangs on the vine in that month, heavy and ready. On a nardi board it is a wish for the house: may the table always be full.

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 winemaker, a harvest, a new kitchen or the friend who brings his own bottle, a hand-carved Armenian backgammon set with a grape cluster on the lid is the backgammon gift set that goes with the wine. We send it at Christmas, on 21 September and to Armenians far from home. It gets opened, played and passed on.