Stoneware Vase with Kintsugi

Substantial and sculptural, this studio-made stoneware vessel is finished in a soft gray-white, semi-matte glaze over a groggy, tactile clay body. A kintsugi repair is visible at the mouth of the vessel. The base bears an impressed seal reading "Un Sei."

Kintsugi—“to join with gold”—is the traditional Japanese art of repairing cherished objects, often ceramics or glass. Gold lacquer is traditionally used in this time-intensive technique, allowing breaks and restorations to remain visible and become part of the object's visible story. Far from a flaw, the repair adds layers of history and further aesthetic and cultural value to the piece.

Japan, mid-20th century
13 1/2"h, 6"w (at widest)