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Unknown Maker, Japanese

Katagami (pattern paper), stencil

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Japanese

Culture

Japanese

Title

Katagami (pattern paper), stencil

Year

1800s

Medium

  • Mulberry paper,
  • persimmon stain

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Mulberry paper,
  • persimmon stain

Materials

Mulberry paper, silk, persimmon

Dimensions

42.2 x 41.6 cm (16 5/8 x 16 3/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Transfer from RISD Library

Object Number

84.016.3

Type

  • Tools

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Queen of the Insects
The Art of the Butterfly
Dec 11, 2009 – May 09, 2010

Label copy

In Japan, the butterfly motif came to find favor, paradoxically, among the warrior class (samurai), who sought emblems for use as a family crest. It is also thought that the art of mulberry stencils (katagami) derives from techniques used to embellish the samurai’s leather armor. Some of the most popular and technically challenging katagami are small-scale designs (komon), which were favored by the samurai for their expression of the aesthetic principle of astringency (shibusa). By the late 19th century, large numbers of katagami found their way to private collections and museums in the West. The RISD Museum began building its collection at the turn of the 20th century, and started exhibiting the stencils shortly thereafter. The beauty of the stencils as objects of art in their own right was valued from the start, and today they serve as exquisite examples of an art form that has been nearly forgotten due to the advent of modern printing techniques. Even in the 19th century, designers looked to these stencils for inspiration, and their designs are as fresh now as they were a century ago.

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Japanese
Katagami (pattern paper), stencil, 1800s
Mulberry paper, persimmon stain
42.2 x 41.6 cm (16 5/8 x 16 3/8 inches)
Transfer from RISD Library 84.016.3

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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