Kintsugi 4 seasons vase

One Vase, Four Stories: The Kintsugi of the 4 Seasons

This ceramic vase, standing about 34 cm tall, has been brought back to life using the ancient technique of kintsugi with 24-carat gold. Far from being a simple repair, each crack has become a narrative thread, a celebration of its past and its rebirth.

Each of the vase’s four sides is a window into a season, a tableau where imperfection is sublimated by meticulous art.

• Winter is represented by a mirror entirely covered with a network of frost, capturing and refracting light. It doesn’t imitate frost; it embodies its very essence, creating a shimmering surface that evokes the cold and purity of the season.
• Spring blossoms with lepidocromy, a rare technique that involves transferring fine scales from butterfly wings. Here, lepidocromy has given life to a complete butterfly, whose delicate body is drawn in 24-carat gold. In Japan, the butterfly symbolizes transformation, the souls of the departed, and the cycle of life, perfectly resonating with the renewal of spring.
• Summer is revealed through a marquetry of flower petals, meticulously cut to recreate a hydrangea, the season’s iconic flower.
• Autumn is symbolized by Japanese urushi lacquer imitating tortoiseshell. This imitation of the material is a powerful symbol of longevity and wisdom in Japanese culture. Its use in autumn, the season of harvest and the end of a cycle, serves as a reminder that the passage of time brings protection and strength.