A hand-carved octopus in parasite wood. Its arms curl and bend as if the water were moving them. It was made in Indonesia, stands about 8 cm tall and takes up roughly 11 × 12 cm, only a little bigger than the palm of a hand. You receive one carved octopus.
Markings, grain and raw edges
The carver kept the wood's own markings, its grain, darker patches and raw edges. None of this was sanded away, so the octopus has a natural, slightly wild look. Pick it up and your fingers will feel the rough surface of the wood. The patches sit in different places on every piece, so no two octopuses are coloured alike.
Carved to follow the wood's twists
Parasite wood comes from a plant that lives on another tree and draws its food from it. It grows in irregular twists, and the carver fits the octopus to that shape. So every piece turns out a little different, and the one that reaches you may not match the photos exactly.
Eight bendy arms
An octopus moves on eight arms, and its soft, boneless body can squeeze through almost any gap. The curling arms of this carving show that bendiness. It suits a side table or a desk, or a corner with seashells and sea pebbles. Placed in the middle of a flat blue ceramic dish, it looks as if it were sitting in water.
A fitting gift for someone who loves the sea. If you collect hand-carved wooden pieces, it will sit well among them, and the series also has dolphins and a sea turtle. Dust it with a soft brush, and keep it out of the bathroom, as steam is bad for raw wood.