朽葉縮緬地牡丹雉子模様着物|Kimono with Pheasants amid Peonies

Unknown

first half of the 20th century · Paste-resist dyeing with silk embroidered accents on silk crepe · Asian Art

Vividly colored pheasants and peonies appear against a ground that graduates delicately from light brown to beige, from top to hem. The depiction of pheasants amid the “king of flowers,” as peonies were known in East Asia, has a long history in Japanese pictorial arts and is associated with summer. The auspicious peony motif originated in China and began appearing in Japanese decorative arts in combination with long-tailed birds. Here, rocks, birds, and pink- and apricot-colored flowers are depicted on the front of the kimono, with the left and right halves of the composition almost merging at the back in a modern rendering of a classical pattern. The realistic depiction of the flowers and the birds reflects the influence of Western oil painting.

Artist

Unknown

Date

first half of the 20th century

Medium

Paste-resist dyeing with silk embroidered accents on silk crepe

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Sue Cassidy Clark, in memory of Terry Satsuki Milhaupt, 2013