Fukusa (Gift Cover)
Mid–Meiji period (1868–1912), c. 1895
Medium
Patterned side: silk, plain weave (shioze); dye extracted though a discharge dyeing technique and chemical dye stripper (bassen) and painted with India ink (sumi); embroidered with silk and gold-leaf-on-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped silk, laidwork and couching; lined with silk, ink and stamped with ink; sewn with front and lining matched in size (Tachikiri awase); silk, running "controlling" stitches along all edges; corners: gold-leaf-over-lacquered- paper-strip-wrapped cotton, knotted and replied fringe tassels
Dimensions
76.8 × 66.1 cm (30 1/4 × 26 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
157674
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...