Vest (Kataginu) Ensemble with Trivets

first half 19th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

The most characteristic Kyōgen costume is probably the kataginu. This broad-shouldered, vestlike garment is usually decorated with large bold patterns related to the role being played. As most kataginu are worn by actors playing servants, typical patterns include animals, vegetables, and household items. The vest is worn over short hakama pants and a robe: the front panels hang over the pants, the back covers the hips, and the whole kataginu is tied with a cotton sash. The back of this kataginu vest is decorated with three iron trivets, or kettle tripods, on a dark gray ground, as well as with the shepherd’s-purse-in-snowflake Kyōgen crest. The Noh play Iron Trivet (Kanawa) may also have inspired the motif’s development. The pants are embellished with auspicious motifs and treasures in crest format on a green ground.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

五徳模様肩衣
Title: Vest (Kataginu) Ensemble with Trivets
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: first half 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Plain-weave hemp with stencil paste-resist dyeing (kata-zome)
Dimensions: Kataginu (a): 38 × 26 3/4 in. (96.5 × 67.9 cm)
Trousers (b): 35 × 24 in. (88.9 × 61 cm)
Obi (c): 3 1/16 × 50 1/8 in. (7.8 × 127.3 cm)
Classification: Costumes
Credit Line: Lent by John C. Weber Collection
Curatorial Department: Asian Art