NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, offers thousands of limited edition and one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home decor treasures handmade by master artists and artisans throughout the world. Centering a beautiful magazine rack, a chasqui hurries about his work. Chasquis were Inca messengers, trained from a very early age to run long distances and traverse the seemingly impossible terrain of the Peruvian Andes. On either end, tooled leather defines the intricate Raimondi stela. Named for Antonio Raimondi, who discovered it, it depicts a deity from the Chavin culture known as the smiling god. The Asis Family selects two symbols of the Andes and a turned mahogany handle to accent this piece. Artisan Info: Born in 1953, Eduardo is the head of the Asis Family. He worked with wood from a young age in his uncles' workshop, where he learned to carve and give a fine finish to their designs. He especially enjoyed developing furniture for homes and restaurants. However he found it necessary to move to the city and went to work in a government office. There he met Carmen, whom he married two years later. Her brother worked in wood and tooled leather, and in his free time Asis joined his brother-in-law to design and craft furniture. Recalling the work he loved as a youth, Asis opened his own workshop and, today, Carmen and four of their five children work with him there. As time went on, Asis trained some of his relatives and friends who helped him out as his workshop grew.
