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 |
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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 created | February 27, 2008 |
Record URL |
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