Zōgan vase-sculpture by Shingo Takeuchi

This vase-sculpture , handcrafted by Shingo Takeuchi, is distinguished by its subtly undulating contemporary lines, as if animated by a slight, deliberate imbalance. Its silhouette seems to oscillate imperceptibly between verticality and organic tension. Made of stoneware from a blend of Seto and Shigaraki clays chosen for their texture and iron content, it has a matte surface with warm hues. The inlaid decoration (zōgan), inherited from a long Japanese ceramic tradition, The technique of inlaying a light-colored slip into engraved motifs is revisited by Shingo Takeuchi on this vase with contemporary subtlety, playing on the delicacy of the decoration and the depth of the materials. Contrasting pigments enrich the surface before a matte slip made from rice ash is applied. After reduction firing, careful brushing reveals the protected lines and hidden nuances, in a beautiful harmony of tones.

Shingo Takeuchi, born in 1955 in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, One of the great historical centers of Japanese ceramics, he is renowned for his unique approach to inlaid decoration applied to deliberately irregular, entirely hand-crafted forms. A graduate of the Aichi School of Ceramics, he founded his own studio in 1982. His highly contemporary and sculptural work, exhibited in major institutions in Japan and internationally, renews the zōgan tradition through constant exploration of material and form.

This vase is signed at its base by the ceramist. It comes with a beautiful wooden protective box (tomobako) bearing the artist's seal and signature, which closes with a sanadahimo cord, and a protective cloth (tomonuno) bearing the artist's seal.