This kettle pot from Ryubundo has plum blossom and orchid on two sides, with gold inlaid to outline these patterns. The orchid has flowy leaves extended into the space surrounding it, vivid and charming. On the other side, the plum blossom is elegant, with curvy and bold outlines. The contrast between softness, elegance and rough texture brings a hint of unpeace and a wabi-sabi feeling to the entire work.
Material: Iron, bronze, gold, silver
Size: 550 ml
【龙文堂梅兰铁壶】
壶身两侧分饰梅、兰，并以锉金工艺凸显纹饰主体，兰花枝叶婉转，姿态舒展，呼之欲出，另一侧，梅花刻画细腻，无过多修饰，一身傲骨，如立雪中，似有暗香。壶沿一圈做了蚀刻的特殊处理，这种朴素甚至沧桑的感觉与壶身的精美形成了视觉的强烈对比，如同鲜花与荆棘，繁华与落没，此类种种，都是人生。
材质：铁、铜、金、银
容量：550 ml
Ryubundo 龍文堂
From the very early of its history, dating back to the early 18th century, the metalwork studio “Ryubundo” 龍文堂 always represents the highest standard of tetsubin (Japanese iron kettle) making. From the founder of the studio, Shiho Ryubun (1735-1798), every successive director of the studio ryubundo were talented not only in metalworking, but also in painting, calligraphy, and poetry. Therefore, the aristocratic, literatic taste are the main features of ryubundo tetsubin. From the middle of Edo Period (1603-1868) when tea culture were popular everywhere in Japan, the development of ryubundo reached a boom, and this boom continued to the latter Meiji Period (1868~1912), and the studio was mentioned in the ironic novel by the famous Japanese writer Natsume Soseki, I Am a Cat. The sentence writes “those people living a luxurious life would lose their sleep if they could not hear the sound made by the lid of ryubundo iron kettles when water is boiling”
日本京都的金工名家——龍文堂，在其三百余年的历史当中始终代表着日本茶器具制作的巅峰水准。从创始者四方龍文(1735-1798), 到之后的历任龍文堂堂主，皆博学多才，除了金工之外，往往擅长书画，并精通国学。因而，龍文堂制作的茶器具中，不少都令人遥想当年汉风雅韵。从茶文化盛行的江户时代开始， 龍文堂铁壶就在贵族间十分兴盛。而在时代巨变的明治，龍文堂随日本金工一起发展到了极致。被日本二十世纪最著名的小说家，夏目漱石在其代表作《我是猫》中提到。
