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Kimono

1900-1950 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The bold colour blocks of this young woman's kimono create a very striking effect, but on closer inspection the patterning reveals a subtle sophistication. The cream silk crepe fabric has been dyed with three, rather than two colours - mauve, orange-red and a pale beige - while some sections are left undyed. The overall decoration of autumn flowers and flowing water has been woven, very unusually, in silver thread which was made from thinly hammered metal sheets adhered onto paper and then cut into thin strips. This thread has a predominantly golden hue, but in places a brighter silver has been used and the delicate design becomes larger and more dense towards the hem of the garment.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk crepe woven with supplementary wefts of silver
Brief description
Kimono with cream, mauve and orange-red ground woven in silver with flowering plants
Physical description
Furisode (swinging sleeves) kimono for a young woman. An overall decoration of autumn flowers and flowing water has been woven in silver, the silk crepe ground then dyed into blocks of mauve, orange-red, beige and cream (undyed). The decoration is graduated down the length of the kimono, becoming larger and denser towards the hem. The silver thread, which was made from thinly hammered metal sheets adhered onto paper and then cut into thin strips, has a predominantly golden hue, but in places brighter silver has been used.

The kimono was given in a cardboard box with a wrapper bearing the characters for 'clothing' and the address of a textile goods shop in Tokyo. These pieces have not been accessioned.
Dimensions
  • Length: 157cm
  • Width: 131cm
Credit line
Presented by Philomena Guillebaud through The Art Fund
Object history
The donor's mother was given this kimono in about 1950 by a Japanese pupil of her father's
Summary
The bold colour blocks of this young woman's kimono create a very striking effect, but on closer inspection the patterning reveals a subtle sophistication. The cream silk crepe fabric has been dyed with three, rather than two colours - mauve, orange-red and a pale beige - while some sections are left undyed. The overall decoration of autumn flowers and flowing water has been woven, very unusually, in silver thread which was made from thinly hammered metal sheets adhered onto paper and then cut into thin strips. This thread has a predominantly golden hue, but in places a brighter silver has been used and the delicate design becomes larger and more dense towards the hem of the garment.
Collection
Accession number
FE.1-2008

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Record createdFebruary 27, 2008
Record URL
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