Cambodia · Metalwork / Engraving
Chhlak Kro'moum; Koh Chen Sbek Ka'ek
The engraving of flattened copper sheet — often subsequently silver-plated — into decorative and ceremonial objects at Koh Chen and neighboring Prek Kdam villages in Kandal province, a craft distinct from the archive's existing Khmer silver repoussé record (CRAFT-0508): where repoussé raises relief by hammering a design from the reverse side of the metal, Koh Chen's core technique is front-worked engraving and chasing directly into flattened copper sheet, historically combined with a silver-plating finish. The craft is a strict family trade with a gendered division of labor reported by contemporary practitioners — men typically forge and flatten the copper, women engrave the detailed designs — producing decorative pots, bowls, plates, ornamental ceremonial swords (traditionally popular gifts for Khmer weddings), bracelets, and small lidded boxes shaped as fruits, animals, or geometric forms. The Koh Chen tradition survived the Khmer Rouge era and remains an active multigenerational family enterprise, exemplified by the Phnhi Tes Handicraft Shop in Prek Kdam Muoy village, now in its third to fifth working generation.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not Listed
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