Grasshoppers and Orchids in Exquisite Stone Art

Stopping dead in my tracks, I thought I saw a tiny green grasshopper sitting on one of the soapstone boxes in Trove. Waiting for it to hop to its neighboring box, I realized it was an amazing carved replica of a real insect. It sat regally on a blade of grass and even wore life-like antennae!

I was told that these soapstone items are crafted by Le Van Anh whose family has been carving stone for generations. He is inspired by his natural surroundings and recreates the leaves, flowers, insects, and frogs from his own garden in Vietnam.

Vietnamese carved stone art has existed for more than 3000 years where intricate techniques of carving, sanding and painting are passed from master to apprentice. Soapstone, occurring naturally in Asia provides an exquisite canvas for the creation of decorative boxes. All the carving is done free-hand resulting in three-dimensional pieces with timeless organic flow. 

Join me at Trove to catch the grasshoppers and frogs and admire the pink and purple orchids. Grasshopper tea boxes, originally priced at $98 are available for $52.