Camel Christmas Bauble

This camel Christmas bauble is made from papier mâché in Kashmir and painted by hand with a desert scene of a traveller leading a camel under a warm golden sky. The design is raised slightly from the surface, so the scene has texture as well as colour, and it reads more like a small painting than a plain bauble.

Kashmiri papier mâché has been made since the fifteenth century, when the craft came to the valley with artisans from Persia. The ball is shaped from paper pulp and dried hard, then the raised design is built up and painted by a naqash, the name given to the painters who specialise in this work. Every scene is painted freehand, so the traveller, the camel and the colours of the sky vary slightly from bauble to bauble.

With its camel and its journeying figure, it also recalls the Magi travelling to Bethlehem, which makes it a fitting choice for anyone who likes a little of the nativity story on their tree.

We buy these from a fair trade importer that is a Guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organization.

How to Care for Your Painted Bauble

Dust it with a dry, soft brush and keep it away from water and steam, since papier mâché is paper beneath its paint and softens if it gets wet. Store it wrapped in tissue in a sturdy box so the raised design isn't crushed.

• Material: hand-painted papier mâché
• Size: approx. 6cm diameter
• Made in: Kashmir, India