Hekiyu porcelain and blue glaze vessel - 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 1970s, 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 large porcelain vessel (length 24.5cm) of soft roundness and perfect balance with its oval shape with curves reminiscent of waves, Kimura san worked his signature blue glaze, hekiyu , playing on the gradients of blue, from the lightest to the darkest. The vessel was mounted on the potter's wheel with a mixture of porcelain and stoneware clays. The final result of his 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 piece which has become known worldwide as "Kimura blue". An exceptional object that is both a vessel and a vase (by placing a kenzan in the bottom).

The artist's hallmark is engraved on the base of the vase-vessel, which comes with a beautiful wooden protective box on which the artist's name, signature and official seal are affixed, guaranteeing its authenticity, as well as an information document (shiori) detailing the artist's profile. 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, greatly inspired by Zen philosophy, and it was through the art of the tea ceremony that he naturally came to pottery. He works almost exclusively with blues, for which he is renowned worldwide. His works are exhibited in museums, notably at the Manufacture de Sèvres, the British Museum, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.