Japanese Meiji Blue and White Ceramic Benki
July 2013 Auction by Far East Asian Art

Salvaged from a Japanese ryokan (inn), this late Meiji blue and white ceramic benki moves easily to a second life as a handsome plant holder or fountain. Western expatriates in the Far East, particularly in Japan, have a long history of adapting utilitarian items with appealing Asian design to inventive new uses, and this is one of the most unusual items to be adapted...