Ryuhei Sako piece added to the Victoria & Albert Museum

Katie Jones is pleased to announce that this incredible work by Ryuhei Sako - Mokume-gane vessel, 2019, H 28 x W 17 x D 17 cm, silver, copper, shakudo, shibuichi, kuromido - will join the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, thanks to a generous benefactor. 

Mokume-gane is a ‘wood-grain metal’ technique developed in Japan in the 17th Century, for the embellishment of Sword fittings. First very thin different coloured alloyed metal sheets are layered and bonded. Then the layers are cut into or drilled and reworked. To achieve a successful lamination takes a very skilled artist and although his work is based on research and experimentation using this tradition process he manages to create very contemporary pieces.

The Victoria And Albert Museum have written of this work -  'This tall vessel is Sako’s masterpiece which truly demonstrates his extraordinary skills to create ‘a unique landscape’ by layering colours, engraving and forging. He has used dozens of layers of silver, copper, shakudo and shibuichi in this piece. Due to the extremely time consuming and labour-intensive process of achieving a successful lamination, his large vessels are rare.'