Child's kimono
Date19th century
Maker
Japanese
Label TextA parent’s strong desire for their child’s long and healthy life is symbolized by the bold pattern of hares, dragons, and clouds across the center of the kimono. Blue dragons and gray clouds, created by varying shades of ink, wind and twist in a diagonal pattern against white cloth. The dragon’s snout, eyebrows, and whiskers are defined in white S-curve and wavelike designs. Rabbits, mortars, and pestles are formed in the white cloth between the clouds and dragons. Bordering the top and bottom of the motif, blue hares created by negative space and delicate white lines further enhance the whimsical nature of this design.
Object number89.109
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, Mood Indigo: Textiles from Around the World, Apr. 9 - Oct. 9, 2016.
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view Dec. 10, 2021 - July 24, 2022].Published ReferencesRathbun, William Jay, Seattle Art Museum, "Beyond The Tanabata Bridge: Traditional Japanese Textiles", 1993 Seattle, Washington, pg. 37, 156Credit LineGift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection
Dimensions39 3/4 x 30 1/8 in. (100.97 x 76.52 cm)
MediumBast fiber (asa); hand-woven; plain weave; freehand paste-resist decoration (tsutsugaki); ink (sumi-e); indigo dye
log in
