Accession Number
1972/2.44.2

Title
One of Four Panels of Textile Fragments: Obi Brocades

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
17th century - 18th century

Medium & Support
brocade with gilt paper (kinran nishiki) & float stitch embroidery (watashi nui)

Dimensions
18 1/2 in. x 24 1/8 in. ( 46.99 cm x 61.28 cm )

Credit Line
Transfer from the College of Architecture and Design

Label copy
The colorful strips of brocade at the top and bottom of this panel feature a woven design of ivy and peonies entwined around cartwheels, bamboo, and stylized diamonds. Both the bold, clear design and the narrow width of the cloth suggest that these may have been part of the sash for a Noh costume.
The wide obi fragment in the center is a fanciful, almost abstract design of boats tossed in a frothy sea. Appropriately enough, it is a superb example of float-stitch embroidery, in which long sections of untwisted floss are attached to the fabric only at the edge of the embroidered motif. Here the float stitches are used for the boat sails. The technique is one that came to Japan from China in the sixteenth century.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001-February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
The colorful strips of brocade at the top and bottom of this panel feature a woven design of ivy and peonies entwined around cartwheels, bamboo, and stylized diamonds. Both the bold, clear design and the narrow width of the cloth suggest that these may have been part of the sash for a Noh drama costume.
The wide fragment of an obi (sash for kimono) in the center is a fanciful, almost abstract design of boats tossed in a frothy sea. Appropriately enough, it is a superb example of float-stitch embroidery, in which long sections of untwisted floss are attached to the fabric only at the edge of the embroidered motif; here the float stitches are used for the boat sails. The technique is one that came to Japan from China in the sixteenth century.
Winter 2011 Gallery Rotation
Panel of textile fragments: obi brocades
Japan, Edo Period (1615–1868)
Brocade with gilt paper (kinran nishiki)
and float-stitch embroidery (watashi nui)
Transfer from the College of Architecture and Design, 1972/2.44.2
The colorful strips of brocade at the top and bottom of this panel feature a woven design of ivy and peonies entwined around cartwheels, bamboo, and stylized diamonds. Both the bold, clear design and the narrow width of the cloth suggest that these may have been part of the sash for a Noh drama costume.
The wide fragment of an obi (sash for kimono) in the center is a fanciful, almost abstract design of boats tossed in a frothy sea. Appropriately enough, it is a superb example of float-stitch embroidery, in which long sections of untwisted floss are attached to the fabric only at the edge of the embroidered motif; here the float stitches are used for the boat sails. The technique is one that came to Japan from China in the sixteenth century.

Subject matter
Both the bold, clear design and the narrow width of the cloth suggest that these may have been part of the sash for a Noh drama costume.
The wide fragment of an obi (sash for kimono) is a superb example of float-stitch embroidery, in which long sections of untwisted floss are attached to the fabric only at the edge of the embroidered motif; here the float stitches are used for the boat sails. The technique is one that came to Japan from China in the sixteenth century.

Physical Description
The colorful strips of brocade at the top and bottom of this panel feature a woven design of ivy and peonies entwined around cartwheels, bamboo, and stylized diamonds. A wide rectangular fragment of an obi (sash for kimono) lie at the center of the textile. It is an almost abstract design of boats tossed in a frothy sea. The warm, muted tones of the gold are matched in color selections of mauve, and muted purple, blue, and green threads.

Primary Object Classification
Textile

Primary Object Type
brocade

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
brocade (textile)
flowers (plant components)
gold (metal)
panels (costume components)