Andhra Pradesh, India
Etikoppaka
Etikoppaka is a traditional lacquerware art from Andhra Pradesh where soft wood is turned on a traditional lathe and painted with natural lac dyes to create vibrantly coloured toys, figurines, and decorative objects.
History
The Story Behind the Art
Etikoppaka lacquerware has been produced in Etikoppaka village on the banks of the Varaha river for over 400 years, established by craftsmen who combined woodturning with natural lac dyeing.
The craft uses Ankudi wood and natural lac dyed with vegetable colours — turmeric for yellow, indigo for blue. Natural lac Etikoppaka remains the most prized.
Etikoppaka received GI protection and is actively promoted. The distinctive toys — animals, dolls, spinning tops — are among the most recognisable craft objects of South India.
Techniques
How It Is Made
Etikoppaka objects are turned on a traditional pit lathe. The lac colour is applied while the object spins — the craftsman holds a stick of lac against the rotating wood, which melts the lac onto the wood creating smooth bands of colour.
Multiple colours can be applied in succession, creating layered striped surfaces. The finished surface is smooth and glossy with a warmth synthetic finishes cannot replicate.
Materials Used
- •Ankudi softwood
- •Natural lac from lac insects
- •Vegetable dyes (turmeric, indigo, plant seeds)
- •Traditional pit lathe
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