Cambodian Lacquer Art, Angkor-Inspired

Cambodian lacquer art is a craft tradition unique to this country — and one that nearly disappeared. Stocker Studio, founded by French master artisan Eric Stocker in Siem Reap in 1998, helped revive it. Today our atelier produces handcrafted Buddha sculptures, wall art, bowls, sake vessels, memorial urns, and bespoke commissions in the Khmer lacquer tradition, finished with the techniques of French national heritage workshops.

The roots of Cambodian lacquer

Lacquer in Cambodia draws on three lineages: Khmer temple art (Angkor and earlier), French Indochinese decorative work (1900–1953), and Japanese-influenced tableware traditions that arrived through trade. The material itself — sap from the Gluta laccifera tree — has been harvested in Kampong Thom province for over 1,500 years, with carvings and ritual objects preserved at sites including Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Prè Rup.

Angkor Wat with its reflection — the largest religious monument in the world
Angkor Wat — the largest religious monument ever built, where lacquered ritual objects survived a millennium under the protection of stone. Image: Satdeep Gill, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Bayon temple at Angkor Thom — face towers of the Khmer Empire
The Bayon at Angkor Thom — its serene stone faces watch over a complex where Khmer ritual lacquer was once produced and used. Image: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Cambodian standing Buddha, late Angkor period, 13th century — wood and lacquer with traces of gilding
A Cambodian standing Buddha from the late Angkor period, 13th century — carved wood with cured lacquer surface and traces of gold leaf. The exact craft Stocker Studio works in today, eight centuries on. Image: Hiart, CC0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

By the 1990s, after decades of conflict and displacement, the working tradition had nearly lapsed. When Eric Stocker arrived from Paris in 1998 — after 25 years as a master craftsman at France's Mobilier National — there were almost no functioning lacquer ateliers left in Cambodia, and the techniques he had spent his life perfecting were absent from the country that had originally inspired them.

Stocker Studio artisan applying eggshell mosaic by hand at the Siem Reap atelier
An artisan at Stocker Studio applying eggshell mosaic to a piece in progress. Each eggshell fragment is placed by hand.

The atelier today

Stocker Studio is based on Wat Bo Road, Siem Reap. We have trained over 350 Cambodian artisans in lacquer, gilding, and inlay techniques over five decades — many of them deaf, working in a quiet environment that suits the craft. The active production team is small (around 18 artisans on a typical day), and most have worked with the studio for ten years or more.

What we make today, by category:

  • Buddha sculptures — meditating Buddha, standing Buddha, Buddha heads, in black lacquer with red and 24k gold leaf, sand-finish natural lacquer, or eggshell.
  • Wall art panels and lacquer paintings — botanical, lotus, abstract, and rye straw compositions.
  • Bowls, cups, sake vessels — fine tableware in eggshell, copper leaf, stingray skin, goat skin, and natural finishes.
  • Memorial urns — keepsake and adult sizes, in natural lacquer with 24k gold leaf, beetle wings, or eggshell. Each unique.
  • Fish sculptures — figurative pieces in natural and copper-leaf finishes.
  • Boxes and trays — gift-scale and presentation pieces in lacquer with hand-laid surfaces.
Restaurant interior featuring Stocker Studio lacquer pendant lights and lacquer details
A restaurant interior featuring Stocker Studio lacquer pendant lights — the studio's work increasingly appears in hospitality projects across Asia.
Three iridescent lacquer vases — eggshell, beetle-wing, and crystalline finishes by Stocker Studio
Three iridescent vessels — eggshell mosaic, beetle-wing inlay, and crystalline finish. Memorial urns and decorative vases by Stocker Studio.

Angkor-inspired work

A massive banyan tree beside an Angkor gate, with the four-faced tower rising above — the iconic encounter of nature and Khmer architecture
Angkor Thom — where stone, tree, and the four-faced tower meet. The aesthetic source we return to in every collection.

The forms of Cambodian classical art — the seated Buddha, the apsara dancer, the lotus, the linga and yoni — appear repeatedly in our work, but as starting points rather than copies. A Stocker Studio piece is recognizable as Cambodian by its lineage and its materials, while reading as contemporary in its proportions and finish. This is by design.

Apsara dancers carved in sandstone at Angkor Wat — the classical Khmer art form referenced in Stocker Studio's lacquer pieces
Apsara dancers carved into the sandstone walls of Angkor Wat — one of the recurring forms in the workshop's vocabulary, transposed from stone into lacquer. Image: LayannAlkasaji, CC0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Eric's role in conservation work at Prè Rup temple in 2018 — using natural lacquer to stabilize ancient sandstone Buddhas — closed a loop that had been open for centuries. The same material that ancient Khmer artisans used to seal and protect ritual objects was now being used to conserve their stone counterparts. Read about the Prè Rup project here.

Recognition

The studio's work in reviving Cambodian lacquer has been formally recognized by:

  • Quai d'Orsay Trophée, 2019 — the highest distinction awarded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for French craft excellence demonstrated abroad.
  • Mobilier National, Paris — Stocker Studio pieces are held in the collection of France's national heritage institution.
  • Hospitality and luxury commissions — Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Sofitel, Park Hyatt, and others have commissioned bespoke pieces. Read about our commissions here.

Visiting the atelier

Stocker Studio storefront in Siem Reap — window display of lacquered fish sculptures
The Stocker Studio storefront on Wat Bo Road, Siem Reap — visitors are welcome.

The atelier is open Monday to Saturday, 9:00–11:00 and 13:00–17:00. We are at Wat Bo Road, Siem Reap — ten minutes by tuk-tuk from Old Market. Free 45-minute guided tour: you'll see the lacquer being applied, gold leaf laid, eggshell pressed. No appointment required for individuals; groups of 4+ are asked to send notice via WhatsApp at +855 12 327 680.

For collectors and designers planning a visit, Eric is available by appointment. Email admin@stockerstudio.com.

Buying online

Most of our pieces are available worldwide via this site. Free DHL Express shipping on orders over $500. Browse all collections here. For custom and commissioned work, visit the commissions page.

Stocker Studio · Wat Bo Road, Siem Reap, Cambodia · A French master and a Cambodian craft, in their proper meeting place.