Leaping Koi Wave Onlay

A koi surges skyward on a crest of curling foam — the timeless "leaping carp" motif of luck and perseverance. The fish is cut in generous high relief, its body tiled with neat overlapping scales, dorsal fin and broad tail fanned wide, mouth turned upward as it clears a bank of scrolling, comma-shaped waves. The whole piece is a one-sided appliqué carving — sculpted on the face, flat on the back — in the East-Asian tradition where the carp climbing the falls stands for grit and good fortune. The waves beneath it are worked in the same rounded, sinuous style, giving the panel real depth and movement. It suits a cabinet door, headboard or mantel as an applied ornament, or hangs alone as a small wall plaque above a doorway or in an entryway. Print / CNC notes • Cut in a tight-grained hardwood (maple, cherry or beech) so the fine scale detail holds crisply; rough with a tapered ball-nose then follow with a fine finishing stepover. • Flat-backed model — orient scales-up and skip machining the reverse. • The deep pockets around the wave tips may want a quick hand-touch with a gouge or a little sanding to clean out fuzz. • Scales happily down to a drawer front or up to a full door panel; seal, then wipe a stain to make the relief pop.