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Japanese Yuzen Birodo Silk Panel with Lions, Meiji Era

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    Posted 4 years ago

    aesthete1880
    (29 items)

    This beautiful silk Japanese panel (85cm x 137cm) of the Meiji era (1868-1912) features lions on the prowl in a ravine with a small descending stream and palm trees. The three-dimensional quality of the lions is due in part to the painterly technique of yuzen birodo or dyed cut-velvet. These pieces involved a multiple stage process: (1) hand-weaving of the silk velvet with the insertion of copper wires to create loops, (2) painting and resist-dying of the uncut piece, and (3) careful cutting with a sharp blade of loops in small areas to create tufted pile and enhance the sense of depth. The discovery of the technique around 1880 is attributed to Nishimura Sozayemon and his famous Kyoto studio.

    The panel is mounted on a dragon- and cloud- patterned silk brocade surround. In the lower right-hand corner, the piece is signed ORyu (King Dragon?) in Kanji. Lions became a popular art subject in Japan around the turn-of-the century after paintings by Takeuchi Seiho. Some believe that Japanese export textiles of this era achieved an unparalleled level of sophistication, as detailed in the Ashmolean's exhibit, Threads of Silk and Gold: Ornamental Textiles for Meiji Japan, and Vollmer's edited work, Re-envisioning Japan: Meiji Fine Art Textiles.

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    Comments

    1. Newfld Newfld, 4 years ago
      Ferocious and beautiful lion landscape, this is a fabulous silk panel thanks for sharing
    2. racer4four racer4four, 4 years ago
      Wow, what an incredible tapestry.
    3. aesthete1880 aesthete1880, 4 years ago
      Thanks Newfld! Thanks racer4four!
    4. aesthete1880 aesthete1880, 4 years ago
      To view more Meiji-era Japanese textiles, see the Ashmolean's Threads of Silk and Gold online exhibit at: http://www.jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/6980/10117/10222
    5. aesthete1880 aesthete1880, 4 years ago
      For Vollmer's description of four yuzen birodo screen panels by the well-known Takashimaya Company, see: https://johnevollmer.com/meiji-discoveries/set-four-yuzen-birodo-screen-panels/

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