Kintsugi Jar, Christian Wall Art

What is painted

The jar sits at the heart of the picture, round and pale, with a narrow neck and a rolled rim. Its surface is made of separate shards, and every gap between them is filled with bright gold, thicker in some places, fine as a thread in others.

Two hands hold it from both sides. They are weathered and strong, the hands of a craftsman, coming out of wide ivory sleeves. The jar rests on a rough stone ledge, and warm light rises behind it so the gold seams seem to glow from inside. We never see a face, only the vessel and the care taken with it.

The image is an impressionist oil-style painting printed edge to edge, and it carries no text.

The potter in Jeremiah 18

In Jeremiah 18:1-6 the Lord sends the prophet down to the potter's house. Jeremiah watches him at the wheel: “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it” (Jeremiah 18:4). Then comes the lesson: “Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6).

Kintsugi adds a second picture to the first. It is a Japanese method of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer and powdered gold, so the lines of the break remain visible and become part of the object's beauty. This painting shows that idea in oil-style paint: Jeremiah's potter reworks soft clay, while kintsugi rescues a vessel that has already been fired and cracked. Both speak of a maker who does not throw his work away.

A print for a season of repair

Place it on a kitchen wall, in a study or near a reading chair. It is a meaningful present for someone in recovery, a friend rebuilding after loss, or a potter or ceramic artist who shares the faith. Its neutral cream and gold tones also suit modern, minimalist and farmhouse rooms.

Each one is printed to order in the United States as a giclée on heavyweight archival matte paper, with free US shipping. It is sold unframed in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 inches, as well as metric and A sizes. You may also purchase a digital file.