Framed Antique Japanese Embroidered Silk Panel Signed

Description

An exquisite Japanese embroidery piece circa end of 19th-early 20th century of Meiji period. The silk panel depicts an idyllic … more An exquisite Japanese embroidery piece circa end of 19th-early 20th century of Meiji period. The silk panel depicts an idyllic water scenery, in which three mandarin ducks swim in the pond under a weeping willow. The stylized wrinkles on the water contrast with the large empty space suggesting a mirror-flat lake. Colored threads were used in a wide of stitches to create a painterly composition that reflects a sense of motion within a still life. This type of seasonal beauty which is ephemeral in nature was cherished by the Japanese literati. The sparse but stroke-like effective design and the use of the negative space bring to the mind the woodcut by Ohara Koson (1877–1945), the famed painter and print designer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a member of the shin-hanga new prints movement. The piece was signed by the artist as Kagawa Hiroyama with Kanji and a seal. We couldn't locate the biography and can only assume that it is the name of the embroiderer. It is nicely presented in a gilt double faux bamboo frame with line mat.
Judged by the size of the piece, it is likely to be the front of a Fukusa, a traditional Japanese textile art that was used to wrap the gift on important occasions.
For a similar piece see threads of silk and gold: Ornamental Textiles from Meiji Japan by Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology University of Oxford. Page 100.
The measurement with frame is 28 5/8" W x 31 3/8" H. The panel itself is 24.25" W x 25.75" H. less