There is a legend of the art of kintsugi, which begins at the end of the 15th century, when a shogun named Ashikaga Yoshimasa wanted to repair a broken porcelain vase. He resorted to reinterpreting the gluing of shards with molten metal, his inspiration being gold.
This form of art, known as “kintsugi” or “kintsukuroi”, is the Japanese art of repairing ceramic objects with a gold or silver resin.
The ultimate goal of such a repair is not to bring the object back to its initial state, but to give it a new appearance and, obviously, a new value.
Thus, each object that would normally no longer be used as decoration or for other purposes, through the kintsugi technique, becomes even richer thanks to the new texture with patterns that seem to take the shape of rivers of sparkling precious metal.
The kintsugi technique has become very popular over time and sparked controversy among collectors, some even starting to intentionally break their ceramics in order to apply the kintsugi technique.
Usually, the objects on which the kintsugi technique is used are old objects that already have a value, either material or spiritual. The repair with gold does nothing but contribute to beautifying and adding extra value, both through the metal itself and through the patterns that come to life on the surface of the ceramics.
Source photo: 123inspiration.com
