Kintsugi (金継ぎ, “Join with gold”) 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.
The famed tale begins with 15th century Japanese military ruler, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, whose prized antique Chinese bowl had broken. He sent the bowl back to China for a replacement, but was told there was no other piece like the original bowl. The Chinese sent back the rare bowl repaired with metal staples. He then requested his craftsman to find a better way to repair pottery.
By the 17th century, Kintsugi was a commonly used technique for ornamenting ceramics for tea. In addition, Japanese lacquer masters used maki-e, a technique for painting fine gold or silver nature inspired designs onto decorative objects.
In an age that worships new and perfection, the art of Kintsugi is appreciating the beauty of vintage and imperfections.
Introducing Kintsugi by LeVel Digital Wallcoverings. Available in 5 standard colorways | Order Samples | Request A Quote | Find Your Rep |
We strive to improve the durability, cleanability and functionality of all the Wallcovering solutions we provide. Our products boast a variety of health-conscious attributes:
- Anti-Microbial Properties
- Bacteria, Mold & Fungi resistance
- Superior Stain & Abrasion Resistance
- Easily Cleanable with a Wide Range of Cleaners
- Impact Resistance
Additionally, we carefully select our substrates, inks and coatings with the same considerations.
Whitney Estep
What an awesome read!