Hand-Carved Frog - Parasite Wood Sculpture

These attractive Frogs are handmade in Indonesia by a fair-trade artisan cooperative. The artisans have used traditional carving techniques on an unusual type of wood. The Frogs are made from "parasite wood," or benalu, a dense mushroom-like growth created when aerial mistletoe embeds itself in the bark of jempinis trees. Benalu is considered a type of wood in its own right. I find these Frogs so interesting (their unique poses and expressions!) and I am fascinated by the unusual texture of the benalu wood. I especially enjoy flipping each sculpture over to look at the base, which features striations resembling mushroom gills. Each is one-of-a-kind and incorporates natural variances in the wood. Exact sizes vary, but most range from 4" to 6".