Oval blue glaze vase by Yoshiro Kimura

It is a work that evokes the infinite variations of blues of the oceans and the sky, blues that the ceramic artist Yoshiro Kimura has sought to capture all his life since, as a young man in the 70s, he admired the Aegean Sea and the navy blue of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii.

His quest led him to perfect his art to achieve a remarkable work of precision and technicality: for this small vase (diameter 10.5cm and height 13.5cm) in porcelain of a soft roundness and a perfect balance with its oval shape, Kimura san worked his signature blue glaze, hekiyu, by playing on the gradients of blues, from the lightest to the darkest. The vase was mounted on the potter's wheel with a mixture of porcelain and stoneware clays. The final result of its cobalt blue glaze is obtained with several layers and successive firings, for a very complex work. The variations of blue are accentuated by the very delicate linear patterns that Kimura san engraves on the surfaces. A signature vase that has become known worldwide as "Kimura blue".

The artist's hallmark is engraved on the base of the vase, which comes with a beautiful wooden protective box that closes with a sanadahimo cord on which the artist's name and official seal are affixed, guaranteeing its authenticity. A rare and precious piece.

About Yoshiro Kimura:

Yoshiro Kimura was born in 1946 and lives in Hiroshima. Before becoming a ceramist he considered becoming a monk, very inspired by Zen philosophy, and it is through the art of the tea ceremony that he naturally came to pottery. He works almost exclusively around blues, for which he is renowned worldwide. His works are exhibited in museums, including the Manufacture de Sèvres, the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.