Chicken ornament — Hagi ware by Tenryū

This chicken ornament is Hagi ware, made at the Tenryū kiln in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan — two birds modelled in white-glazed clay, their feathers drawn in fine strokes of gold, combs in matt red, resting beside a straw bale worked into the base. In Japan, ceramic figures of this kind are called okimono — objects made purely to be placed and regarded. This one carries Hagi's signature quietly: the milk-white glaze breaks to warm clay at the raised edges, and the gold sits in the feathering like late light. Renaras, an Amsterdam atelier known for its work with Japanese ceremonial silk, selects Hagi ware directly from established Japanese artisans. An okimono asks only for a place to stand — a shelf, a windowsill, the corner of a desk where the eye rests between tasks. Details: Height: 19.5 cm, Length: 20 cm, Material: glazed ceramic — Hagi ware, Kiln: Tenryū, Origin: Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Individually made; glaze and gold detail vary from piece to piece.