Yuki Hayama
Vase: Fish and Aquatic Plants
Ceramic
H14 3/4 x W15 3/8 in
H37.3 x W39.1 cm
H37.3 x W39.1 cm
C21980
Copyright The Artist
Chinese nobles and literati, who were driven from their homes when the Mongols swept across the Eurasian continent, traveled down the Yangtze River in search of a safe haven, eventually settling in the mild climate of Jiangnan, where they developed new forms of beauty and art. This design of fish and seaweed is a motif that was first developed by the court painters of the Southern Song dynasty; fish represent wealth and seaweed symbolizes a safe home. Applying the motif using zaffer, Hayama elegantly recreates this one-thousand-year-old prayer for peace in the modern age.
