Lined robe

early 20th century

Cheerful designs of swallows flying among cherry trees and irises along streams are printed on silk dyed bright yellow. The color yellow was reserved for Okinawan royalty, and the fine silk would have been imported at great cost from Kyoto or another textile center in Japan. The dyeing technique used here is a type of resist-dyeing called bingata. Unique to Okinawa, bingata creates vibrant colors and elaborate designs like those in this robe.

Plain weave silk crepe with paste-resist stencil decoration (Oki., bingata) lined with modern replacement silk broadcloth

47 3/4" long (from collar) x 43" wide

Gift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection

89.155

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Beyond The Tanabata Bridge: A Textile Journey In Japan (Washington, D.C., Textile Museum, Sept. 10, 1993 - Feb. 27, 1994; Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham Museum of Art, Apr. 17 - June 26, 1994; Dallas, Texas, Dallas Museum of Art, Mar. 12 - May 28, 1995).

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view Feb. 8, 2020 - July 11, 2021].

Published ReferencesRathbun, William Jay, Seattle Art Museum, "Beyond The Tanabata Bridge: Traditional Japanese Textiles", 1993 Seattle, Washington pg. 194

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