Fukusa (Gift Cover)
early Meiji period (1868–1912), 1868/83
Medium
Woven in one piece (hikikaeshi); Mon side: silk, twill weave self-patterned by areas of plain interlacing; dye extracted through stenciled chemical dye stripper (bassen), stenciled with dyes and gold leaf (yûzenzome;suri yûzenzome), painted with India ink (sumi) and dye details; embroidered with silk and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip wrapped cotton, couching; Patterned side: silk, plain weave (shioze); stenciled (yûzenzome: suri yûzenzome and otoshizome) and painted India ink (sumi) and gold; embroidered with silk and gold-leaf-on-lacquered-paper-strip wrapped silk in straight stitches; laidwork and couching; silk, running "controlling" stitches along edges; corners: silk and cotton, wrapped and knotted re-piled fringe tassels
Dimensions
74.5 × 64.5 cm (29 3/8 × 25 3/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
157672
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...