Suzuki Norifumi, Five-Ridged Flower Vase “Evening Glow”

Large ceramic flower vase by Suzuki Norifumi, of slender pentagonal form, built on five sharp ridges that give the piece a very strong architectural presence. The tomobako bears the inscription 五稜花器 夕映, meaning “five-ridged flower vase, Yūbae,” which can be translated as “Evening Glow.” This title is particularly well-suited to the work, whose surface evokes the blended colors of a sunset sky, with passages of orange-pink, grayish-green, brown, and dark gray.

The strength of the vase lies primarily in its construction. The very stable pentagonal base firmly elevates the volume, then the upper opening widens slightly in a very restrained line. This clean geometry gives the piece immediate authority. It is animated by a dense and rough ceramic skin, almost mineral, whose reliefs, hollows, and irregular areas capture light and accentuate the telluric character of the form.

The decoration is based on added glaze applied to the surface, then melted by firing into the very material of the piece. It is this fusion that gives the vase its very personal quality. The hues are not simply applied to the clay: they blend, diffuse, and fuse with the texture of the ceramic body to form a true landscape. The result evokes a horizon at sunset, with slow chromatic transitions and remarkable visual depth. The deliberately irregular lip further reinforces this impression of living matter.

Suzuki Norifumi (鈴木紀文, 1940-2006) belongs to the great ceramic tradition of Seto. The eldest son of Suzuki Seisei, he first pursued a university education before going on to study in the United States after graduating from Shinshu University. From 1967, he worked with his father, then became an independent ceramist in 1985. His career is marked by numerous selections in major exhibitions, notably at the Nitten, Nisshin Kōten, and Nichigen Kōten. He also received several important distinctions, including the Chunichi Prize from the Kōfūkai, the Minister of Education Award at the Chunichi International Exhibition, the Prefectural Governor's Award at the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition, as well as the Seto Mayor's Prize and the Board of Education Prize at the Toyota City Exhibition.

This career shows an artist solidly recognized in the landscape of post-war Japanese ceramics. Heir to a great lineage, he nevertheless developed a personal path, particularly sensitive in the treatment of glazes, in the vigor of surfaces, and in the almost sculptural presence of certain forms. For him, the construction of volume and the richness of firing effects take equal importance, which gives his works both plastic and atmospheric intensity.

This vase is a very good example of this. It unites the clarity of a constructed form, the freedom of a live lip, and a glazed surface fused into the material, giving it a presence as convincing as a very large vase as it is as an autonomous ceramic sculpture.

The vase is signed on the base. Its original tomobako is preserved; it is signed and bears the seal of Suzuki Norifumi.

Dimensions: height approx. 69.5 cm (27.4 in.); opening approx. 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in.).