Antique pokerwork vase

Pokerwork refers to a method of decorating wood or leather by burning a design into it, using a technique known as pyrography.. Even if the wooden object has very little burnt design, with most of the design having been painted, it is still called pokerwork. Thus, a vase may have a very small area at the top with a burnt design, and though the rest of the vase may be painted, it is still classified as pokerwork. Pokerwork as a technique is not restricted to wood, although wooden objects predominate. The technique is straightforward: a piece of metal is heated at its tip and pressed onto or drawn across the wooden surface. Repeated application produces a pattern. Pokerwork may have irregular burn marks as it  was very much a 'cottage industry'. Asian pokerwork copies that are available on the folk art market, have more regular burn marks.