Japan

Fukusa (Gift Cover)

early Meiji period (1868–1912), 1868/83

Woven in one piece (hikikaeshi); Mon side: silk, twill weave self-patterned by areas of plain interlacing; dye extracted through stenciled chemical dye stripper (bassen), stenciled with dyes and gold leaf (yûzenzome;suri yûzenzome), painted with India ink (sumi) and dye details; embroidered with silk and gold-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip wrapped cotton, couching; Patterned side: silk, plain weave (shioze); stenciled (yûzenzome: suri yûzenzome and otoshizome) and painted India ink (sumi) and gold; embroidered with silk and gold-leaf-on-lacquered-paper-strip wrapped silk in straight stitches; laidwork and couching; silk, running "controlling" stitches along edges; corners: silk and cotton, wrapped and knotted re-piled fringe tassels

74.5 × 64.5 cm (29.3 × 25.4 in)