Hand-Carved Teak Wood Arched Black and Gold Mirror | Shell Crest Carved Masks

The Story Behind This Mirror

A carved face is the hardest ornament in the workshop, and the reason is simple: everyone is an expert on faces. A leaf that is slightly wrong reads as stylised; a face that is slightly wrong reads as unsettling. So the masks go to the carvers who do figure work, and each is shaped from the solid - brow, cheekbones, mouth, the fall of hair - with no correcting a cut that goes too deep.

They are also deliberately kept broad rather than fine, because a mask on a mirror is seen from several feet away and from below, not held in the hand. Detail that reads beautifully at bench height disappears on a wall; the carver compensates while cutting.

The shell crest is shaped with its flutes standing proud, the laurel border run continuously around the arch, and the husk drops graduated so each is slightly smaller than the one above. Then the finishing, which takes longer than the carving: the ebonised ground built up in thin coats and cut back between them until it is even across both flat and carved surfaces, and only then the gold laid by hand on the raised work alone and rubbed back at the high points.

Factual specification for this hand-carved teak wood arched black and gold mirror:

• Material: Solid teak wood, hand-carved (no veneer, no engineered wood)
• Style: Baroque arched wall mirror with figural mask ornament, two-tone ebonised and gilded
• Finish: Ebonised black ground with hand-applied gold on the raised carving; black-to-gold balance customisable, and the same frame is available fully gilded or in a dark wood polish
• Frame detail: Large fluted shell crest with a carved mask beneath, matching carved masks on capitals at the head of both stiles, graduated husk drops, laurel leaf border around the arch, third mask set into the base cartouche, outward-scrolled feet
• Glass: Bevelled arched-top mirror plate
• Orientation: Wall-mounted, portrait
• Options: Masks can be replaced with carved foliate cartouches - specify at order
• Size: Custom sizes made to order - share your wall dimensions and we will quote
• Make: Made to order, handcrafted by master Indian artisans
• Delivery: Pan-India, free shipping

Packaging and Transit Protection

The three masks and the projecting shell crest are the vulnerable points, and a chipped nose or brow is not repairable invisibly - it has to be recarved. So each mask is wrapped individually in high-density foam shaped around the features rather than pressed flat against them, and the shell crest, the capitals and the scrolled feet are wrapped the same way, all taped clear of the finish so no adhesive touches gold or black.

The whole frame is faced with a soft interleaf first, since an ebonised surface scuffs visibly. It is then sleeved in a continuous foam blanket, corner-guarded at all four corners and blocked into a fitted wooden crate with dense foam on every face so it cannot shift and abrade. The bevelled arched plate is covered with a shatter-retention film and rigid-board backed. The crate is marked for orientation, fragility and lifting points, strapped and sealed, and we photograph the piece wrapped and the crate closed before dispatch. On arrival, inspect all three masks closely before signing.

Shipping and Delivery

Every piece is carved and finished after you order. Typical lead time is 4 to 6 weeks from confirmation, and this design sits toward the longer end as standard because figure carving is the slowest work in the workshop and the two-tone finish is built up in thin coats that each need to cure. Enlarging the frame, changing the black-to-gold balance or substituting the masks for cartouches all affect the timeline. The exact date is confirmed in writing at order and we share photographs after carving and after finishing.

Delivery is free anywhere in India. We arrange and manage transport and our team coordinates unloading and placement at your address rather than leaving a crate at the gate. Please tell us in advance about stairs, lift dimensions or society service-entry restrictions so the route can be planned. We advise on hanging hardware for your wall type. International orders are quoted case by case - send us the destination and we will price freight and documentation separately.

Craftsmanship Assurance and Care

Our craftsmanship assurance covers the solid teak frame, the carving and the joinery. If a joint opens or a carved element separates because of a fault in the making - rather than through impact, misuse, an unsuitable wall fixing or an attempted self-repair - we repair or replace the piece. Glass breakage after delivery and water damage sit outside the assurance. Because the masks are carved by hand from the solid, slight variation between pieces is expected and is not a defect.

Dust the flat black passages with a soft dry cloth and use a clean dry soft brush around the masks, in the shell flutes, along the laurel border and between the husk drops. Take particular care around the masks - the carved features have fine undercuts that a cloth will catch. Never use water, chemical polish, alcohol or ammonia cleaners on either the ebonised ground or the gilding; both lift, and the line between them cannot be spot-repaired invisibly. Spray glass cleaner onto the cloth rather than at the plate. Keep the mirror out of direct sunlight, which greys a black finish over time, and away from heat and air-conditioner outflow. Mount on a solid wall with anchors rated well above its weight.