Over Robe (Uchikake) with Scenes from The Tales of Ise
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The unusual design on this uchikake looks like selected sections from a painting (maybe a handscroll) depicting the Tales of Ise, though the representation of the classic story is very modern. The scene has finely executed details, such as the textile curtain in the middle of the back panels, and the design is carried to the inside of the robe at the bottom.
This garment was purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (1850–1926). Much of Bigelow’s collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1890, before later donating them to their collection.
This garment was purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (1850–1926). Much of Bigelow’s collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1890, before later donating them to their collection.
Artwork Details
- 白壁縮緬伊勢物語打掛
- Title: Over Robe (Uchikake) with Scenes from The Tales of Ise
- Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
- Date: second half of the 19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Silk plain-weave crepe (kabe chirimen), paste-resist dyed (yūzen), hand-painted with ink, embroidered with silk, and couched with gold-wrapped thread
- Dimensions: 69 1/2 × 47 1/4 in. (176.5 × 120 cm)
- Classification: Textiles-Costumes
- Credit Line: Lent by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art