Storage bag (shifuku) for tea-ceremony utensil

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    19th century
  • Geography

    Japan
  • Material

    Silk, gold threads, cotton
  • Dimension

    H x W (flat): 46 x 40 cm (18 1/8 x 15 3/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    FSC-T-9
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_FSC-T-9

Object Details

  • Description

    Green and brown stripe silk with a floral motif woven into the fabric. The brown stripe has thirteen stripes woven into the fabric in gold thread along with red dots embroidered in the center of the flowers and yellow threads embroidered in the centers of the green flowers. This bag is in very poor condition. There is a yellow silk rope drawstring. The interior of the bag is lined with a purple silk. The silk is heavily shredded and torn throughout. There is an especially long tear along one of the side seams. There are many areas where the white cotton batting is exposed and many of the threads in the floral centers are snagged and pulled.
  • 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
  • Collection

    Freer Study Collection
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Japan
  • Credit Line

    Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection, Smithsonian Institution
  • Type

    Costume and Textile
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

    There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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