Lined robe
Dateearly 20th century
Maker
Japanese
Label TextCheerful 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.
Object number89.155
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. 194Credit LineGift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection
Dimensions47 3/4" long (from collar) x 43" wide
MediumPlain weave silk crepe with paste-resist stencil decoration (Oki., bingata) lined with modern replacement silk broadcloth
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