Men’s jacket
Dateca. 1930-40
Maker
Japanese
Label TextThis jacket’s design—birds in a snowy landscape—is evidently drawn from the well-known painting Mandarin Ducks in Snow by Ito Jakuchu (1716–1800). The maker copied Jakuchu’s painting faithfully, marvelously applying it to this silk garment with a freehand paste-resist dyeing technique called yuzen-zome. Such a fine piece would have been commissioned by a patron, probably a wealthy merchant in Kyoto.
Object number89.163
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, pp. 161-163, p. 162-163 illus. (color), cat. 48
Loudon, Sarah. "Instructional Resources: Wearable Arts of Japan Seattle Art Museum," in Art Education, Vol. 49, No. 6, Art Education Reform and New Technologies, November 1996, p. 25-32Credit LineGift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection
Dimensions39 x 49 inches
MediumSilk, freehand paste-resist dyeing (yuzen-zome)