'Dream' Blown Glass Box

Kyohei Fujita highly collectible “Dream” box in molded and blown Liuli glass with gold and silver leaf inclusions, Japan, 1995.

An exquisite example of Fujita’s celebrated glasswork, this sculptural lidded box is formed as a softly rounded hexagon in luminous pale aqua-blue glass. The surface is richly embellished with irregular expanses of gold and silver leaf interspersed with delicate inclusions of lavender, violet, blush pink, turquoise and opaque white glass.

The extraordinary combination of color, texture and metallic inclusions creates an almost painterly composition that changes continuously as the box is viewed from different angles. Particularly beautiful is the contrast between the cool, ethereal blue ground and the brilliant gold and silver leaf, punctuated by jewel-like passages of purple and soft pastel colors—perfectly embodying the dreamlike quality for which Fujita’s celebrated “Dream” boxes are known.

Both the fitted lid and substantial lower body are individually worked, with thick translucent walls and softly faceted edges emphasizing the object’s jewel-like presence. Equally compelling as a functional box or a small-scale work of sculpture.

Etched signature “Kyohei Fujita” to underside.

Kyohei Fujita (1921-2004) was a Pioneer of glass-making and had been instrumental in bringing the Studio Glass Movement to Japan. In 1989, Fujita was appointed as the only glass artist to the Japan Art Academy, an honorary society for artists who have contributed to the arts. In 1996, the Kyohei Fujita Museum of Glass, a private museum in Matsushima devoted entirely to his work, was opened. Then in 1997, Fujita received an award from the Japanese government for “Distinguished Achievement in the Cultural Arts” and became recognized as a National Living Treasure in Japan. His works are housed in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York and the Museum of Art and Design, New York.