Japanese Art Of Ceramic Repair

Sackler gallery in washington d c.

Japanese art of ceramic repair.

According to louise cort the curator of ceramics at the freer gallery of art and arthur m. We restore ceramic objects implementing the japanese art of broken pottery repair kintsugi kintsukuroi using 23 5k gold and lacquer or our proprietary developed process and materials with encapsulated gold effect metals this lesson is intended to show the difference between the two kintsugi implementations methods and to learn how it is done. Kintsugi is the japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections you can create an even stronger more. Meet the beautiful japanese art that helps you repair the broken objects and overcome sorrow.

The origins of kintsugi are uncertain but it s likely that the practice became commonplace in japan during the late 16th or early 17th centuries noted louise cort curator of ceramics at the smithsonian s freer gallery of art and arthur m. This lesson shows only the highlights of the. Kintsugi 金継ぎ golden joinery also known as kintsukuroi 金繕い golden repair is the japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold silver or platinum a method similar to the maki e technique. Kintsugi is a centuries old japanese art of repairing broken pottery and transforming it into a new work of art with gold the traditional metal used in kintsugi.

It has a long history which was practiced by our ancestors from the edo era years. The name of the technique is derived from the words kin golden and tsugi joinery which translate to mean golden repair. Sackler gallery it was during this time that a japanese warrior infamously purchased broke and repaired standard tea bowls in order to make a profit that seems to indicate that by the beginning of the 17th century kintsugi was a. Kintsugi repair is a form of japanese art not just a diy repair method.

The centuries old japanese tradition of mending broken ceramics with gold. As a philosophy it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object rather than something. The translation from japanese of kintsugi or kintsukuroi means golden joinery or repair with gold where the gold powder is applied on lacquer some refer to it as kintsugi art with a metaphor of kintsugi life re birth or wabi sabi philosophy this technique transforms broken ceramic or pottery into beautiful. The meaning of kintsugi kintsukuroi gold repair art.

Japanese kintsukuroi chawan. By the 17th century kintsugi has become common practice in japan.