Kutani Ware Porcelain Bud Vase, Green Gold Leaf

At a glance

• Irregular gold leaf decoration reveals glimpses of green through its fragmented pattern
• Rounded, turnip-inspired shape gives the vase a distinctive silhouette
• Designed for a single flower, with enough decorative presence to display empty

Gold leaf spreads across the rounded surface of this Kutani Ware vase, with glimpses of green appearing through the irregular breaks. The contrast between the metallic finish and the underlying colour creates a layered decoration that changes subtly as the light catches it.

The design uses wari kinpakusai, a decorative style featuring fragmented gold leaf rather than a continuous, uniform gilded surface. The irregular arrangement makes the relationship between the gold and green an important part of the vase's visual character.

Made by Meizan kiln, the vase takes its shape from a Japanese turnip, known as kabura. Its broad, rounded body narrows towards a small opening, creating a distinctive low silhouette.

Designed to hold a single flower or a slender stem, it allows a simple bloom to stand alongside the richly decorated porcelain without requiring a full arrangement. The vase can also be displayed on its own, with the gold leaf providing visual interest even when no flowers are present.

Its combination of traditional gold decoration and unusual form makes it as much a small decorative object as a functional flower vase.