Koi carps (brocade carps)

Country: Spain

Manufactory: Lladro

Date of establishment: 2010

Sculptor: Joan Coderch

Size (cm): 46*29

Limited Series

Porcelain Story

Have you ever seen koi live? This, I tell you, is an absolutely extraordinary sight. Large, the most unimaginable colors of fish, slowly, as if with self-respect, crossing the space of the reservoir, look like some outlandish creatures. Their majestic, how would it be more correct to say, “posture” fascinates, forcing you to watch their every movement for a long time ...

To my shame, I only recently learned that koi, which everyone (including myself) have long considered Japanese fish, were brought to Japan from China. It was in China that even 2500 years ago, ordinary peasants began to breed such carps. And now the Japanese, scrupulous about any serious business, have managed to create a whole industry of industrial breeding of these fish in artificial reservoirs. Moreover, koi carps are considered to be only those carps that have passed 6 selections and received the appropriate category. The Japanese established 14 types of standard colors for these carp...

I learned about all this much later, and for the first time I, together with my children, had a chance to observe the riot of colors on the wide backs of these amazing fish in the reservoir of the royal palace in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. True, the carps spoiled by tourists did not behave there with dignity, as prescribed by their unusual status. Hundreds of huge fish literally snatched the food offered to them from their hands, without much ceremony with their multi-colored counterparts.

You know, when I saw this porcelain composition for the first time, it seemed so realistic to me that the only thing missing was water, sinking into which koi carps could immediately rush to the feeding place. And the fish themselves, created almost life-size, and the extraordinarily beautiful flowers that crown this work, cause sincere admiration. Especially the realization that all this is created by human hands.