Bowl, Vietnam, Lê dynasty 1501 - 1600. Ceramic with gold repair, 10.8 cm height. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford (EA1968.9)

This bowl is an example of the Japanese practice of kintsugi - a method of repairing broken ceramics using lacquer mixed with powdered gold. 

Kintsugi literally means ‘joining together with gold’. The philosophy behind this practice is that breakage and repair are important parts of an object's story, rather than something to be hidden.

While the practice is most commonly associated with Japanese craftsmanship, it was also used in Korea, China and Vietnam.