Chinese cork diorama · in a hexagonal glass case

A Chinese cork carving in a hexagonal glass case with black-framed edges: against a red backing stands a pavilion among gnarled trees, with cranes cut from wafer-thin cork between them.

Cork carving — ruanmuhua in Chinese, «soft-wood picture» — comes from Fujian. Trees, pavilions and birds are cut from the soft bark of the cork oak and stacked layer by layer into a landscape with depth. Nothing is cast or pressed: every branch, every roof, every crane's neck is cut and set individually. Such work reached Europe as export art from the 1950s, usually in a round or rectangular case.

The hexagon is the rarer form. Six panes in black-framed edges, closed above and below — you can look in from every side, and the red backing lifts the white of the cork. The case is part of the piece: without it the landscape would fall apart within weeks; cork is as fragile as dry leaves.

• Chinese cork carving, Fujian tradition
• Hexagonal glass case, black-framed edges
• Red backing for contrast
• Pavilion, trees, cranes
• Complete, nothing loose

Good. The carving is complete and sits firm, no branch broken, no crane displaced. The case is tight, the panes clear, the frame without play. Fine dust gathers inside over the years — best left there; cork does not survive cleaning.