Sinhasan for God in Gilded Teak with Lion Figures and Velvet Gaddi

Gold leaf arrives in small squares, and a piece like this needs hundreds of them. Where they meet is the whole craft.

Each leaf is thinner than paper and light enough to be lost to a breath. It is picked up, carried, and laid onto the prepared surface, and it must overlap its neighbour by a hair - not butt against it. A butted join leaves a hairline of the ground colour showing through, and once the piece is finished that line reads as a scratch across the gold. Overlap too far and the double thickness sits proud and catches light differently.

On carving, this is harder again, because the surface is not a plane. Every leaf has to be pressed down into the hollows and around the ridges of the foliage without tearing, using a soft brush rather than fingers.

Afterwards comes faulting-in: the gilder goes over the whole piece looking for the small gaps that always appear in undercuts and inside corners, and patches each one with a torn fragment of leaf. It is slow, unglamorous checking work, and it is the difference between gold that looks continuous and gold that looks applied.

Frame: solid teak throughout, hand-carved by master Indian artisans, with traditional joinery at every junction.

Back: tall pierced openwork panel around a shaped upholstered centre, under a carved winged crest with a central face.

Lions: two standing figures carved in the round on the seat platform.

Seat: red velvet gaddi over a carved platform.

Apron: pierced and carved below the platform.

Legs: square carved legs.

Side stool: small round gilded stool on carved cabriole legs, supplied with the piece.

Upholstery: red velvet as photographed. Any velvet or fabric can be used instead, including your own material.

Finish: hand-laid gold leaf over the carving. Silver, champagne, antiqued tones or plain polished teak are also available.

Size: custom sizes made to order - final measurements confirmed in writing before production.

Photography: images on this page are of the actual product, not renders.

Gold leaf is the most delicate surface we send out - it sits on the highest points of the carving and marks under pressure that would not touch a polished finish.

A soft non-abrasive layer goes over every gilded surface first, laid smoothly with no folds. The winged crest, the lions' heads and paws, and the outer edges of the pierced back each get shaped foam collars, and foam is fitted into the larger voids of the openwork so the carved bridges cannot flex.

The pierced apron is protected with a continuous foam strip, and the legs are collared individually. Corrugated panels then build a rigid shell around the piece, with the base blocked and braced so the weight rests on the legs rather than the back. The stool travels in its own carton. Outer cartons are edge-reinforced, and the velvet gaddi is wrapped in a breathable cover that keeps dust off without pressing the pile. Everything unwraps by hand.

Free PAN-India delivery covers both the sinhasan and the stool - no zone rates, no distance surcharge, no separate charge for the second piece. The same cost delivered to Erode as to Etawah.

Dent-free arrival is guaranteed on both. They leave in multi-layer protective packaging, travel with handlers briefed on gilded and pierced carving, and are checked at every transfer point. If anything is not right when you open either carton, tell us and we make it right - the guarantee rests with us, not with the transporter.

Because it is made to order, production begins once your velvet, finish and measurements are confirmed in writing. If the sinhasan is being built around a particular murti, send us its height and width at enquiry so the platform and the back are scaled around it. We give a realistic timeline in writing and send a dispatch note with an expected delivery window.

The solid teak frames and joinery carry a 20-year warranty on both the sinhasan and its stool. That covers the legs and apron, the seat platform, the lion figures and the tall pierced back with the joints holding it upright. If a joint opens or a member fails within those twenty years, we repair or replace it.

A lifetime warranty against termite damage runs alongside on both pieces, with no end date. Teak's natural oils are why termites avoid it, and our seasoning and finishing routine is built around preserving them, so the timber is guaranteed for as long as the set is yours.

A sinhasan is usually bought once and kept for generations, and the warranty is written to match that kind of ownership. It holds because both pieces are made from start to finish in our own workshop by the master Indian artisans who build everything we sell, from timber we season ourselves. Registration is automatic with your order.