Outer Robe (Uchikake) with Phoenixes and Paulownia
An uchikake is a lined silk robe with a wadded or padded hem, worn over another garment without a sash, usually for formal occasions or stage performances. Such outer robes often feature a layer of silk filaments between the outer “ground” fabric and the lining, and the wadded hem was intended to add weight to the lower edge of the garment, helping to preserve its straight line. This example was made as a wedding garment and accordingly displays a wealth of auspicious symbols in its decoration. In China the phoenix was a symbol of longevity and good fortune, appearing during times of prosperity and signaling the advent of good government. In Japan, paintings of phoenixes roosting on paulownia trees were a specialty of the Kano-school artists, and their designs were adapted to textile art as well.
Artwork Details
- 紺平絹地桐鳳凰模様打掛
- Title: Outer Robe (Uchikake) with Phoenixes and Paulownia
- Period: Meiji period (1868–1912)
- Date: early 20th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Resist-dyed and painted plain-weave silk embroidered with gold thread
- Dimensions: 73 x 49 1/4 in. (185.4 x 125.1 cm)
- Classification: Textiles-Costumes
- Credit Line: Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1937
- Object Number: 37.92.10
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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7721. Outer Robe (Uchikake) for a Wedding
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