Rare Historical Set Japanese Oshi-e Textile Art Panels Meiji Period - 11 Pieces

Description

On offer here is a rare set of eleven Japanese textile art with painting panels called Oshi-E circa Meiji Period … more On offer here is a rare set of eleven Japanese textile art with painting panels called Oshi-E circa Meiji Period (1868-1912). This unusual set of panels depict various composition of oriental figures, animals and plants (even including a nanban foreigner), all in beautiful details. The panels were unframed and stored in a wood box inscribed with ink of the title and artist's name Eigetsu and seal. According to the note remained on the bottom of the box, they were gifted on the occasion of Christmas to a Miss M. L . Graves in 1891 by her Japanese students (with all their names listed) and remained in Putnam-Graves collection since. Each work is a wonderful example of the Oshi-E art form with its realistic rendering and attention to details. Each is signed and sealed by the artist, stamped Putnam-Graves collection and with penciled number verso. Preserved in near pristine condition, this love set was probably put away for decades and was never mounted. There is also a lovely ink painting under the lid with an inscription "I love ancient people", presumably by the artist as well.
The Oshi-E (also known as kiritori zaiku, literal translation as "Pressed Picture) is a type of ornamental textile art dated back to the Muromachi period (1392-1573). It started among the elite aristocratic women in Kyoto before spreading wider in the Japanese society. Throughout Edo and Meiji period, Oshi-E were sometimes used to make offerings to the altars in the temple and in the late 19th century, it was exported to the west along with the other embroidery textile art. Oshi-E was made by using silk wadding to create a relief design. Various silk fabric swaps and sometimes wires and tassels, often recycled from older kimonos among the other pieces, were used to create different desired effects. Much detail was focused on the elaborate dresses, head wears, faces, and plants in the setting. Ink and watercolors were used to facilitate the details of the design such as the background painting and the facial detailing. The work was time-consuming and in Meiji period, it was considered as a feminine accomplishment along with ikebana, embroidery and tea ceremony.
According to the book: Threads of silk and gold: ornamental textile from Meiji Japan published by Ashmolean Museum of art and archaeology University of Oxford, few examples survived to this day.
Reference: Threads of Silk and Gold: Ornamental Textile from Meiji Japan published by Ashmolean Museum of art and archaeology University of Oxford. Page 178. less