Costume of a Japanese Gentleman
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
(a) Silk,metalic thread / Plain weave (b) Silk / Plain weave (c) Silk / Plain weave (d) Cotton; Silk / Plain weave (e) Silk / Plain weave (f) Silk / Braided (g) Straw, leather / Woven (h) Straw, leather / Woven (i) Rush; leather; silk; wood / Woven (j) Rush; leather; silk; wood / Woven (k) Cotton / Knit (l) Cotton / Knit
Dimensions
Overall (a): 51 x 53 1/2 in. (129.5 x 135.9 cm) Overall (b): 61 x 50 in. (154.9 x 127 cm) Overall (c): 42 x 29 1/2 in. (106.7 x 74.9 cm) Overall (d): 40 x 52 in. (101.6 x 132.1 cm) Overall (e): 159 x 4 1/8 in. (403.9 x 10.5 cm) Overall (f): 23 in. (58.4 cm) Overall (g (left)): 10 x 3 1/2 in. (25.4 x 8.9 cm) Overall (h (right)): 10 x 3 1/2 in. (25.4 x 8.9 cm) Overall (i): 9 1/2 x 4 in. (24.1 x 10.2 cm) Overall (j): 9 1/2 x 4 in. (24.1 x 10.2 cm) Overall (k): 9 3/4 x 3 in. (24.8 x 7.6 cm) Overall (l): 9 3/4 x 3 in. (24.8 x 7.6 cm) Overall: 23 in. (58.4 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Costumes
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Howard Mansfield, 1950
Accession Number
50.110.1a–m
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 19th-century *Costume of a Japanese* offers a glimpse into the refined elegance of Edo-period (or early Meiji) attire, when silk garments symbolized social status and cultural sophistication. Comprising multiple components—including flowing silk robes (a-e), a braided silk cord (f), woven straw-and-leather sandals (g-j), and knit cotton tabi socks (k-l)—this ensemble would have been worn by an upper-class man for formal occasions, evoking the harmony of form and function in Japanese dress. Crafted primarily from plain-weave silk, some pieces incorporate shimmering metallic thre...