Quilt Cover
late 19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The design on this bedding (futon) cover has been created using a technique called tsutsugaki, or 'tube drawing'. In this method woven fabric is stretched on a frame of bamboo and a design drawn on the cloth with paste squeezed from a tube (tsutsu). The tube is made from paper treated with persimmon juice to make it water resistant; it has a nozzle of bamboo or metal through which the paste is extruded. The paste, made of rice flour, lime and water, forms a protective coating that prevents the colour penetrating when the cloth is dyed. Before the dye is applied, the surface of the fabric is brushed with soya bean liquid to seal the paste and help fix the dye. Once the dyed cloth is dry the rice paste is washed off. The process is repeated to obtain the various shades of blue.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cotton, resist-dyed and painted |
| Brief description | Futon quilt cover of cotton, dyed and painted, Hakata-shi, Fukuoka (prefecture), Japan, late 19th century |
| Physical description | Futon quilt cover with Kikusui design. Cotton, dyed and painted with a design of chrysanthemum flowers and waves in white and pale blue on a dark blue ground. Repeated in each corner is a formalised flower within a double circle. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Bedding cover
1850–1900
The traditional Japanese form of bedding is the futon, which comprises a mattress and a cover laid out on the floor. The cover is often decorated. This boldly patterned example was probably part of a bride’s trousseau. It reveals how subtle shading can be achieved using only one colour. Careful mending is evidence of how greatly such textiles were treasured.
Cotton with freehand paste-resist dyeing (tsutsugaki)
Museum no. T.331-1960
(04/11/2015) |
| Production | Hakata-shi |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The design on this bedding (futon) cover has been created using a technique called tsutsugaki, or 'tube drawing'. In this method woven fabric is stretched on a frame of bamboo and a design drawn on the cloth with paste squeezed from a tube (tsutsu). The tube is made from paper treated with persimmon juice to make it water resistant; it has a nozzle of bamboo or metal through which the paste is extruded. The paste, made of rice flour, lime and water, forms a protective coating that prevents the colour penetrating when the cloth is dyed. Before the dye is applied, the surface of the fabric is brushed with soya bean liquid to seal the paste and help fix the dye. Once the dyed cloth is dry the rice paste is washed off. The process is repeated to obtain the various shades of blue. |
| Bibliographic reference | J.Earle (editor), 'Japanese art and design: the Toshiba gallery', (V&A, 1986), p.173
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.331-1960 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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