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Unknown Maker, Japanese

Nō theater costume (nuihaku)

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Japanese

Culture

Japanese

Title

Nō theater costume (nuihaku)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1750-1800

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

silk, gold leaf

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Center back length: 162.6 cm (64 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

35.470

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

  • Books

Patterns and Poetry: Nō Robes from the Lucy Truman Aldrich Collection

No robes from the Lucy Truman Aldrich Collection at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. A beautiful and informative publication on the RISD Museum's collection of costumes for the Japanese No theater. This collection, arguably the finest in the United States, was assembled largely on the spot in Japan during the 1920's by Rhode Islander Lucy Truman Aldrich, sister-in-law of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The 47 robes came to the Museum by gift and bequest from Miss Aldrich herself and represent all categories of No costume. Four essays document the history of the collection, including Miss Aldrich's encounter with Chinese bandits; poetic allusion in the imagery of the robes; the traditional methods of making No robes; and the evolution of No costume over 650 years. Individual entries with color illustrations discuss each of the 47 objects.

Susan Anderson Hay, Curator of Costumes and Textiles, RISD Museum of Art Monica Bethe, Independent Scholar, Japan Helen M. Nagata, former Curator of Asian Art, RISD Museum of Art Iwao Nagasaki, Curator and Scholar at the National Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Nuance in Nature
Birds and Flowers in Japanese Textile Design
Feb 16, 2007 – Jul 08, 2007

Label copy

Long-tailed birds, possibly pheasants, embroidered onto the gold-leaf diamond grid are often intended to communicate good luck.

A nuihaku is a No theatrical costume type that bears both embroidery and metallic-leaf stenciling as decoration. The short boxlike sleeves classify teh robe as a kosode garment. This robe was once in the collection of the Ikeda family of Bishu, a noble family (daimyo) during the Edo period.

Patterns and Poetry
Noh Robes from the Lucy Truman Aldrich Collection
Oct 21, 1994 – Jan 22, 1995

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
Nō theater costume (nuihaku), 1750-1800
Plain-weave silk with gold leaf, hand-painting, and embroidery
Center back length: 162.6 cm (64 inches)
Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich 35.470

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