• hand-carved-white majestic cat bookends fair trade imported from Kenya.
  • soapstone cat bookends-lifestyle-2
  • front view of handmade soapstone cat bookends fair trade imported from Kenya
  • side view of hand carved soapstone cat bookend fair trade imported from Kenya
  • hand-carved white soapstone bookends from Kenya. Majestic sitting cats.
  • fair trade soapstone cat bookends hand-crafted in Kenya.
  • white soapstone cat bookends hand-carved in Kenya and fair trade imported.
  • fair trade hand-crafted soapstone majestic cat bookends from Kenya
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Smolart

Soapstone Bookends-Hand-Carved Majestic Sitting Cat

Soapstone Bookends-Hand-Carved Majestic Sitting Cat

$32.95 USD
$32.95 USD
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Each bookend is hand-carved from a single piece of natural soapstone and is a beautiful depiction of a sitting cat.  The pieces are true sculptures and works of art.  The detailed work on the edge is evident in the detailed bookend design.  Great gift for cat lovers or an ethical gift for all.  These are substantial and great for heavy books.

Product Features:

  • Measures approximately: 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide.
  • The natural stone coloration and variegation will vary from piece to piece.  Colors will range from a whiter color to earthy colors to pink.
  • Due to the handmade nature, the actual size of each piece will vary slightly. 
  • Soapstone is a soft stone, making it easy to carve into many forms. Handle with care to avoid breakage.
  • Fair Trade.

Because a variety of communities hand carve these statues, you can expect the design to have small variations and color variations in the natural stone.   

Story Behind the Art:

Kisii soapstone is one of the most well-known art forms from East Africa.  A hand-carved piece of art from the Kisii region of Kenya is a real treasure.  Soapstone is mined from the Tabaka Hills and then carved by talented artisans into many designs that are beautiful and functional.  Laborers work with shovels, picks, axes, and machetes to carve out large soapstone chucks.  The large pieces of stone are cut using pangas (large knives) and then brought to the workshop for carving and finishing.  The soapstone from the Tabaka Hills comes in a range of colors from white to pink to grey.  As it is crafted, it goes through multiple stages of sanding and waxing which gives the soapstone a satiny finish. Each etching is intricately carved by hand.

To learn more about the artists and the techniques they use to create these eco-friendly home decor items, click on "About the Artisans". 

About the Artisans

Our Soapstone is carved by the artists of SMOLArt a group of artists who live in the rural village of Tabaka, Kenya, the heart of Kenya's soapstone carving region. The name, a shortened version of Small, Medium, and Large Artists, refers to the size of the soapstone products the artisans make, not their stature. Established in 1990, SMOLArt is a member of the WFTO, and as such assures that the artisans are paid a fair price for their work. In addition, the organization support community development by contributing to projects that improve living conditions, education, and health of their members and the village at large.

Soapstone is mined from great pits in the area surrounding Kiisi, Kenya. The mined soapstone is then delivered to carvers who carve sculptures from the natural stone for the wholesale market, the color of which ranges from cream, to pink, to brown, to yellow, to black, to a marbling of all of them. Once carved, the craftspeople smooth rough edges of the soapstone with sandpaper dipped in water and polish the piece to a high gloss or paint African motifs in brilliant colors with etched accents.

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