Over Robe (Uchikake) with Bamboo and Folded-Paper Butterflies
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Fretwork, chrysanthemums, and orchids decorate the ground fabric of this white over robe, which was worn by a wealthy merchant-class bride. It is embroidered with gold bamboo stalks—a symbol of resilience and vitality—that reach from the hem to the neck. Another embroidered and tie-died motif on the robe represents noshi, the folded-paper decoration traditionally attached to gifts and sake bottles as a token of good luck. Designed in the shape of butterflies, these noshi allude to a long marriage. Their distinctive folds distinguish the insects as male and female, symbolizing the new couple. Several noshi are executed in tiny kanoko (fawn spot) tie-dyeing, an expensive, labor-intensive technique. Other symbols of longevity, such as turtles, pines, cranes, and plum blossoms decorate them.
Artwork Details
- 白綸子地竹蝶熨斗模様打掛
- Title: Over Robe (Uchikake) with Bamboo and Folded-Paper Butterflies
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: first half 19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Figured satin-weave silk (rinzu) with tie-dyeing, silk embroidery, and couched gold thread
- Dimensions: 68 1/2 × 51 1/2 in. (174 × 130.8 cm)
- Classification: Costumes
- Credit Line: Lent by John C. Weber Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art