wedding obi

wedding obi , mid 1900s, Showa period (1926–1989)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: silk; paper; foil; silver thread; jacquard

Credit line: Gift of Mrs. David W. Isaac

Accession number: 1990.0027

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
“Flowers, Dragons and Pine Trees: Asian Textiles in the Spencer Museum of Art,” Nov-2005, Mary Dusenbury
For this wedding obi the weaver used his masterful control of the weaving process to produce an elegant and understated design of pampas grass set against a background of other autumn grasses. He also employed an unusual combination of flat, paper-backed gold and silver foil (the usual choice of Nishijin weavers) with silver foil wrapped around silk thread (used more generally for couched-thread embroidery) to heighten the interest of the design. The contrast of silver-wrapped thread with flat foil creates an effective difference in texture that is one of the most distinctive features of this design.
Autumn grasses have been a theme of poetry and painting since the Heian period, and situate this obi in a classical heritage that gives authority and allusive beauty to this important part of the wedding ensemble.