Fine Art
Priceless Vessel Reborn
Imagine sitting at your kitchen table when all of a sudden you hear a crash from the hallway. Being a fine art collector, many thoughts and fears quickly run through your mind as you go to investigate the source of the noise.
You turn the corner only to find a 1200 AD Native American storage jar, or Olla, from the ancient Puebloan culture of the Southwest United States in pieces on the floor.
A treasure in pieces. Image courtesy of Suzanne Lovell Inc.
This unfortunate accident happened to a dear client of ours who enlisted our Fine Art Department’s help to solve. After considering our options and presenting to the client, we decided to bring a new life to this ancient vessel through kintsugi.
An early 17th century Korean bowl repaired using the traditional kintsugi method. Image courtesy of Artsy.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art method of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum. Kintsugi, Japanese for “golden seams,” aims to highlight the fractures rather than conceal them with clever repairs.
A method to the madness…O’Neil laid out all pieces of the puzzle. Image courtesy of Trevor O’Neil Arts.
Enlisting the talents of local artist Trevor O’Neil, our client’s precious vessel was given a new life. Trevor thoughtfully researched the vessel’s heritage to determine visible patterns. He laid out all of the pieces on a work table to create a “map” of how he might begin his process.
A detail of the gold leaf seams. Image courtesy of Trevor O’Neil Arts.
The impressive metamorphosis of this Puebloan vessel had our entire studio in awe. We all pored over the research, process images, and still videos sent by Trevor during his process.
The ancient Puebloan vessel shown on the right before the fall. Image courtesy of Suzanne Lovell Inc.
Once complete the vessel was stunning. Trevor’s meticulous work was breathtaking. We were so thrilled to play a role in this unique transformation.
The vessel was given the place of honor in the center of the client’s dining table so the unique seam patterns could be viewed from all angles.
The “priceless vessel” from 1200 AD reborn using kintsugi. Image courtesy of Suzanne Lovell Inc.
