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Unknown Maker, Japanese

Textile

Maker

Unknown Maker, Japanese

Culture

Japanese, Edo

Title

Textile

Year

1800-1849

Medium

  • Resist-dyed cotton

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Resist-dyed cotton

Materials

cotton

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Length: 33.7 cm (13 1/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of William Ely

Object Number

37.288

Type

  • Textiles

Exhibition History

A Chorus of Chirps, Hums, and Buzzes
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Japanese Print Gallery
May 24, 2019 – Nov 10, 2019
Queen of the Insects
The Art of the Butterfly
Dec 11, 2009 – May 09, 2010

Label copy

Drawing from Indonesian traditions of wax-resist printing, these two textiles, in which the butterfly tumbles in and out of lush vegetation and blossoms, share similar imagery, patterning, and technique, but different histories. Many cultures use the art of wax resist to create pattern on textiles. The Japanese textile is an example of katazome, a stencil-resist technique whereby rice-flour paste, mochiko, is handapplied to all areas of the textile meant to remain white before it is dyed. (A group of stencils utilizing this traditional printing process may be viewed in the cases on the far end of this gallery.) The Dutch textile represents a mechanized version of the resist-printing technique using wax rather than rice paste as the blocking agent. This manner of printing, widely known by its Indonesian name, batik, came to the attention of Dutch East India Company merchants in the early 17th century and has been refined and mechanized over the last four hundred years. Today, Vlisco, the firm that produced the contemporary Dutch textile, manufactures such wax-resist textiles not for the Dutch or Indonesian market, but for export to West Africa. The Japanese example, on the other hand, reflects the influence of Chinese design and technical tradition. According to provenance documents, it may have traveled to America on the first cargo out of Japan after the 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa, under Admiral Perry. Such textiles flooded the Western marketplace in the mid-19th century, spurring a new movement in design known as Japonisme.

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

Label copy

Grasses are often associated with auntumn; however, with the addition of butterflies, this design may take on a more significant meaning. For example, the different design effects of the grasses may imply some are underwater whiel others are not, suggesting two different states of consciousness. Butterflies are viewed as possessing the souls of the living and the dead, in addition to symbolizing joy and longevity.

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain 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
Textile, 1800-1849
Resist-dyed cotton
Length: 33.7 cm (13 1/4 inches)
Gift of William Ely 37.288

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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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