Leaf carving is an artwork involving the delicate trimming of leaves to develop a picture or landscape. The process of carving is performed by artists using tools to carefully cut the surface without cutting or removing the veins. The veins add detail into the subject matter of the carving. Leaf carving originated out of China and gained popularity in 1994 by artist Huag Tai Sheng after he got the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

to recognize his work. The art may be related to Chinese

paper cutting Papercutting or paper cutting is the art of paper designs that has evolved all over the world to adapt to different cultural styles. One traditional distinction most styles share is that the designs are cut from a single sheet of paper as oppo ...

. The material or most common leaf used in leaf carving is that of the Chinar tree. The Chinar tree is native to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Chinar leaves have a close resemblance to

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

leaves.

References

The arts Carving Chinese art Leaves {{Decorative-art-stub