22746 Kanjiro Kawai (Flower and Plant Vase)

Height 22.2cm Width 14.8cm Depth 10.8cm

Together with the great masters of Japanese folk art, such as Yanagi Muneyoshi and Hamada Shoji, and the great masters of modern Japanese crafts, such as Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kuroda Tatsuaki, Kawai Kanjiro built the foundations of the Japanese folk art world and played an active role as a central figure. This is the top work of Kawai Kanjiro, a great master of Japanese folk art who has been highly praised worldwide for pioneering new frontiers in modern ceramics with his profound yet simple style that pursues "beauty of utility" and winning the Grand Prize at the Milan International Exhibition. This work is perfect in every respect, with its well-balanced shape, outstanding yellow glaze color, careful patterns, and the color of the glazes applied to it. It is a work that overwhelms the worldview of Kawai Kanjiro, who pursued "beauty of utility" and pushed Japanese folk art pottery to the world of art. This is a masterpiece of outstanding workmanship among the flat vases that Kawai Kanjiro loved and worked on until his later years.