This is a handmade Chinese lacquer decorative gourd, finished in black, red, and gold rhino skin lacquer (Xipi, 犀皮漆) with touches of blue, over a real, naturally grown double gourd (calabash), from the Yi Series by HFDlacquerware (禾丰鼎).The slender, curling stem on top is the gourd's own, kept intact from the vine it grew on. It brings an organic, sculptural presence to a console table, study, or display shelf, at home in a traditional or modern interior.

Dozens of layers of natural raw lacquer (生漆) are applied by hand, built up, then ground and polished until a richly mottled surface appears. Because every gourd grows into its own shape and every rhino skin pattern forms on its own, no two pieces are alike. It is a true one-of-a-kind collector's piece.

In Chinese, the gourd, hulu (葫芦), sounds like fulu (福禄) — blessing and prosperity — which is why it has long been kept in homes and given as a gift. Here the gourd grew its shape in a field, and the lacquer gave it a second skin, one layer at a time.