Blue mottled glass vase with gold leaf inclusion by Kyohei FUJITA

A hand-blown glass vase of compressed globular (lentoid) form rising to a short, flared trumpet neck with swirled banding. The cobalt-blue body is mottled overall with a dense scatter of blue and white speckled inclusions, one section overlaid with crackled gold leaf (kinsai) sealed beneath the glass surface, a signature Fujita technique combining precious-metal leaf with hand-blown form. The surface has a soft matte finish. Unsigned, but accompanied by its original kiri-wood tomobako, the lid inscribed in ink with a title “gold-decorated hand-blown vessel” and signed Kyohei saku with the artist’s red seal; Also accompanied by a separate printed career/biography sheet.

Fujita Kyohei was born in 1921 in the Hyakuninch? district of Shinjuku, Tokyo. He graduated from the crafts department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko) in 1944, and in 1947 joined Iwata Glass, training under Iwata Toshichi. He established his own studio in 1955 and held his first solo exhibition of hand-blown glass in Ueno, Tokyo, in 1957, continuing a series of annual exhibitions in Nihonbashi from 1961 onward. In 1964 he introduced “Sai,” the representative work of his “flowing glass” (ryudo garasu) series, followed in 1973 by “Ayame” (Iris), the representative work of his celebrated decorated-box (kazaribako) series. From 1977 he also produced work in Murano, Venice. In 1972 he co-founded the Japan Glass Artcrafts Association, later serving as its chairman. In 1989 he became the first glass artist appointed to the Japan Art Academy (Nihon Geijutsuin), receiving the Japan Art Academy Award; in 1996 the Fujita Kyohei Museum of Glass opened in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, devoted entirely to his work; in 1997 he was recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit; and in 2002 he received the Order of Culture. He died in 2004.

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Works by Fujita Kyohei are held in the permanent collections of the following institutions: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Museum of Arts and Design, New York.