Elephant ornament hand-carved jali-cut soapstone with baby inside

Description

This is an amazing carving - made from a single block of soapstone: an elephant with a baby elephant inside! It seems almost impossible that anyone could carve this! The skilled artisans who can are the Master Craftsmen of Agra, descendants of the artisans who worked on the Taj Mahal. The type of open work they have carved is called jali-cut, a traditional Indian pattern. These talented artisans are employed the Fair Trade organisation Tara Projects, TARA Projects (Trade Alternative Reform Action) was founded in 1973 to help poorly organised and struggling artisans in Delhi find markets for their goods. By creating opportunities for these home-based craftsmen to market and sell their goods, TARA Projects helps to generate steady work and income. Based on the early success of this programme, they have been able to expand to a 120-mile area surrounding Delhi.