Not on display

Length

1850-1860 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This Japanese fabric is of a type known as rinzu, a patterned satin similar to damask, that was introduced into Japan from China in the sixteenth century. It was produced in Japan from the early seventeenth century and gradually replaced the stiffer silks used previously. Rinzu was a popular fabric for kimono, the T-shaped garment that, from the early sixteenth century, was the principle garment for both sexes and all classes, and was generally woven, as here, with a key-fret and small flower design known as sayagata. This nineteeth century example was part of a gift of objects given to Queen Victoria by the last-but-one shogun in 1860.

Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Monochrome pattern silk
Brief description
Tex, Japan, woven
Physical description
Length of purple self patterned satin silk with design of flowers and lattice
Dimensions
  • Length: 115.5cm
  • Width: 52.5cm
Credit line
Given by Queen Victoria
Object history
Given by H. M. Queen Victoria, accessioned in 1865. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This Japanese fabric is of a type known as rinzu, a patterned satin similar to damask, that was introduced into Japan from China in the sixteenth century. It was produced in Japan from the early seventeenth century and gradually replaced the stiffer silks used previously. Rinzu was a popular fabric for kimono, the T-shaped garment that, from the early sixteenth century, was the principle garment for both sexes and all classes, and was generally woven, as here, with a key-fret and small flower design known as sayagata. This nineteeth century example was part of a gift of objects given to Queen Victoria by the last-but-one shogun in 1860.
Collection
Accession number
333A-1865

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Record createdFebruary 28, 2006
Record URL
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