Kimono
1912-1930 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
During the Heian period (794-1185) the wheels of imperial carriages were placed in water when not in use to prevent them drying up and cracking. This practise came to be used as a decorative motif, part of an extensive imagery that romanticised courtly culture. In this twentieth- century kimono the wheels have been dramatically enlarged and crowded onto the surface of the garment to create an almost abstract pattern.
Kimono are constructed from pieces of fabric that drape from hem to hem, and to and from the lower sleeve edge, without a seam at the shoulder. Where stencils are used to form a repetitive design, the pattern thus appears upside down on parts of the garment. In this example the inevitable reversal of the pattern direction has been used to impact an interesting rhythm to the design.
Kimono are constructed from pieces of fabric that drape from hem to hem, and to and from the lower sleeve edge, without a seam at the shoulder. Where stencils are used to form a repetitive design, the pattern thus appears upside down on parts of the garment. In this example the inevitable reversal of the pattern direction has been used to impact an interesting rhythm to the design.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | plain weave; resist-dyeing |
| Brief description | Tex, Japan, resist-dyed. Summer kimono with motif of carriage wheels, Taishō-early Shōwa period |
| Physical description | Informal summer kimono of machine-spun plain weave pongee silk (meisen) with stencil-printed weft threads (yokoso-gasuri). Motif of carriage wheels. Unlined. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | During the Heian period (794-1185) the wheels of imperial carriages were placed in water when not in use to prevent them drying up and cracking. This practise came to be used as a decorative motif, part of an extensive imagery that romanticised courtly culture. In this twentieth- century kimono the wheels have been dramatically enlarged and crowded onto the surface of the garment to create an almost abstract pattern. Kimono are constructed from pieces of fabric that drape from hem to hem, and to and from the lower sleeve edge, without a seam at the shoulder. Where stencils are used to form a repetitive design, the pattern thus appears upside down on parts of the garment. In this example the inevitable reversal of the pattern direction has been used to impact an interesting rhythm to the design. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.25-2014 |
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| Record created | March 6, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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