Black Blue Quill Mum

Chrysanthemum meaning carries real historical weight in Japan, where the flower appears on the imperial seal and represents longevity, rebirth, and a kind of dignified endurance that few flowers are asked to symbolize. The Black Blue Quill Mum takes that dignity and adds a color combination that reads more like a bruise than a tribute, its narrow quill-shaped petals catching both black and blue in a single glaze pass rather than settling on one. Quill mums are already the most architectural chrysanthemum shape, each petal rolled into a tight tube instead of lying flat, and the dual-tone glaze pools differently along that curve than it would on a broader petal. The effect is more sculptural than floral, closer to a specimen than a bouquet, and unapologetic about it. Every quill gets rolled and set by hand before firing, which keeps no two petals curving quite alike. SFMOMA has kept this piece on its shelves for years, comfortable with a chrysanthemum that refuses to be simply pretty.