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Kimono with Pheasants amid Peonies

first half of the 20th century
Not on view
Vividly colored pheasants and peonies appear against a ground that graduates delicately from light brown to beige, from top to hem. The depiction of pheasants amid the “king of flowers,” as peonies were known in East Asia, has a long history in Japanese pictorial arts and is associated with summer. The auspicious peony motif originated in China and began appearing in Japanese decorative arts in combination with long-tailed birds. Here, rocks, birds, and pink- and apricot-colored flowers are depicted on the front of the kimono, with the left and right halves of the composition almost merging at the back in a modern rendering of a classical pattern. The realistic depiction of the flowers and the birds reflects the influence of Western oil painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 朽葉縮緬地牡丹雉子模様着物
  • Title: Kimono with Pheasants amid Peonies
  • Period: Meiji (1868–1912)–Shōwa period (1926–89)
  • Date: first half of the 20th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Paste-resist dyeing with silk embroidered accents on silk crepe
  • Dimensions: Overall: 63 × 52 in. (160 × 132.1 cm)
  • Classification: Costumes
  • Credit Line: Gift of Sue Cassidy Clark, in memory of Terry Satsuki Milhaupt, 2013
  • Object Number: 2013.510.5
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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