A single stem is enough here. The Storia Small Vase comes out of a Veneto workshop where artisans shape Terra Bianca earthenware and then hand it to a painter, the northeastern Italian ceramic tradition still doing the work, and the hand painted design with its gilded seams draws on kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with precious metal so the repair becomes the most beautiful part. Holding 101 oz, it takes a loose grocery-store bunch as easily as one cutting from the yard, and it has enough presence to stand empty on a mantel or a stack of books. Handmade in Italy, it belongs on the table people linger at rather than behind cabinet glass, and it makes a considered housewarming or anniversary gift.
