Acanthus Whorl Walnut Backgammon Set with Classic Outline

Acanthus Whorl Walnut Backgammon Set with Classic Outline by Hrachya Ohanyan

Acanthus scrolls and C-curls turning round a domed boss, cut in deep relief on a stippled disc, with honeycomb panels either side and lattice to the corners. This is the 60 cm / 23.6″ Armenian wooden backgammon set made by Hrachya Ohanyan, classic outline. Handmade in walnut, with 32 checkers, dice cut from billiard balls and a branded case.

This is the board for the first walnut board, the dining room with the dark table, and the player who wants ornament that catches the light but no picture to explain. The scrolls stand well clear of the disc, each leaf hollowed and rolled at the tip, small buds tucked between them, the boss left smooth and round; the disc under them is stippled fine as leather and held in a rope-and-bead ring. Either side, cusped panels of honeycomb stipple; diamond lattice fills the fields to the corners.

Inside, the walnut is natural and the work is line: cross-hatched points with fleur-de-lys tips, a petal wheel in a scrolled ring on each half, and a brass hinge stamped with the maker's mark on the bar; two eternity whirls stand in full relief on the back. For the wedding present that has to last, the office, and the player who wants carving they can feel without a story attached.

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
• Carving: a whorl of acanthus scrolls and C-curls with small buds round a smooth domed boss, in deep relief on a stippled disc inside a rope-and-bead ring; cusped panels of honeycomb stipple either side; chip-carved diamond lattice on the outer fields; rope-and-bead borders; two eternity whirls in full relief on the back; petal wheels in scrolled rings and cross-hatched points in line work 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

• Hand-carved backgammon board
• 32 beech and walnut checkers with velvet bases
• Dice set cut from billiard balls
• Branded carrying case

Why You'll Love It

• Relief you can read from the door: the scrolls are cut deep and rolled at the tips, so the whorl throws its own shadows and reads as ornament from across the room.
• Three grounds, one lid: fine stipple under the whorl, honeycomb in the side panels, lattice at the corners — the eye rests on the carving and the hand finds the rest.
• 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 this the same carving as the two-sided acanthus board? The whorl is the same family — acanthus scrolls round a smooth boss — but this is the simpler, single-sided version: one carved cover with honeycomb panels and lattice, natural walnut points in line work inside, and two eternity whirls on the back, where the two-sided board carries the whorl on both covers with basket weave and hornbeam inlay. It is varnished; 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.