Rearing Horse

Wonderful craftsmanship is inherent in this carving of a rearing horse, made from the nuts of the tagua palm tree. It's especially the fact that it is only supported by its two hind legs and it's proud standing appearance. An other fine artistic touch is the soft brown tone of the tail and it's nose and muzzle. The horse sculpture has been polished for an attractive shiny look.

As tagua nuts are not huge in size, it is assembled from smaller pieces. The horse including its base is standing at a height of ca. 15.5 cm and weighing just under 150g.

Tagua is the nut from the tagua palm tree and as such is a fully natural and vegetable product. Once dry it is of extraordinary hardness, similar to that of bone. It is gaining increasing popularity for its beauty and an appearance resembling that of ivory. Therefore, it is commonly referred to as vegetable ivory.

Tagua is both environmentally friendly and ethically sourced. To make tagua products, only the nuts are collected and there is no need to cut down trees or damage them otherwise. On the contrary, the trees are cared for by the natives as they provide them with a source of ethical income. By creating beautiful pieces of jewellery or crafting stunning pieces of work, it provides the indigenous population of Ecuador with an income from ethical sources.