Massive Japanese Embroidery Tapestry Display Box Meiji Period

Details

Description

A massive Japanese embordered tapestry professionally displayed in a custom acrylic shadow box. The fine work of textile art is … Read more A massive Japanese embordered tapestry professionally displayed in a custom acrylic shadow box. The fine work of textile art is dated to 1890-1920s, late Meiji (1868-1912) or possibly Taisho (1912-1926) era.
Presented with brocade border on linen canvas and finely worked in colored silk and metallic threads, the design features a mythical scene with two of the most beloved creatures in Japanese culture. On the upper part, it showcases a rising phoenix in flight with fully spread wings among swirling clouds. Below the auspicious bird, a kirin with impressive golden furs looks up on a rocky shore, all on a greenish-grey ground arrayed with white clouds.
The piece is a tour-de-force work of art. The high relief technique using a combination of gold and silver threads with different sheen and shades renders the piece a tremendous sense of dimension. Its impressive size, the superb craftsmanship and near perfect condition set it apart. Japanese Meiji textiles were widely exhibited in the west during turn of the 20th century at the international exposition. It was used to showcase the Japanese aesthetics with the techniques at their pinnacle. These expositions solidified the country's images overseas and fueled the Japanese craze in the west, which turned out to be a long-lasting influence on the western art. Many pieces were purchased and stayed in the west. It is most likely this estate piece was from one of the expositions based on its high quality and well-preserved condition.
For two similar tapestries featuring Pheonix and Kirin see the example in "Threads of silk and gold ornamental textile from Meiji Japan Ashmolean", figure 5 and 6 on page 94-95.
Re-envisioning Japan Meiji Fine Art Textile, John E. Vollmer, Illustration on page 181.
For detailed terminology of embroidery techniques used in this work, please refer to threads of silk and gold ornamental textile from Meiji Japan Ashmolean page 86-87. See less