Storage bag (shifuku) for tea-ceremony utensil

Navy blue silk background with a gold linear design with four different medallion patterns woven into the fabric: 1) diamond shapes 2) circle with a series of curved radiating lines 3) circular middle with a linear design; the exterior of the circle is surrounded by petal-like shapes 4) circular middle with a diamond shape grid pattern surrounded by petal-like shapes. There is a gold silk rope drawstring. The interior of the bag is lined with a cotton floral motif pattern. The background fabric is beige with small white flowers with gray accents.

Historical period(s)
Edo period or Meiji era, 19th century
Medium
Silk, gold threads, cotton
Dimensions
H x W (flat): 19 x 24 cm (7 1/2 x 9 7/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection, Smithsonian Institution
Collection
Freer Study Collection
Accession Number
FSC-T-21
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Costume and Textile
Type

Bag

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), flower, Japan, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), tea
Provenance

?-1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), method of acquisition unknown [1]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

Notes:
[1] This bag once held a ceramic owned by Charles Lang Freer but was separated from that ceramic at an unknown time for an unknown reason, most likely after Freer's collection was brought to Washington, DC (see note 2).

[2] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920, upon the completion of the Freer Gallery of Art.

Research Completed on March 23, 2022

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Description

Navy blue silk background with a gold linear design with four different medallion patterns woven into the fabric: 1) diamond shapes 2) circle with a series of curved radiating lines 3) circular middle with a linear design; the exterior of the circle is surrounded by petal-like shapes 4) circular middle with a diamond shape grid pattern surrounded by petal-like shapes. There is a gold silk rope drawstring. The interior of the bag is lined with a cotton floral motif pattern. The background fabric is beige with small white flowers with gray accents.

Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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