Cloth: cotton; tsutsugaki (freehand resist)expand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fund and the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation; purchase from the Thomas Murray Collectionexpand_more 2019.20.125
Technique: Freehand resist dyeing (tsutsugaki)
Women of a household generally made bedding covers (futonji) from textiles they purchased and then pieced together. The dye work on this large textile is expertly done, suggesting the hand of a professional. It was made using a starch-resist technique, in which a sticky paste was applied to mask certain areas of the textile, protecting them from immersion in the dye bath. Whereas some techniques involved a stencil, generating a highly regular pattern, with tsutsugaki the artisan applies the starch freehand through a tube; this application requires significant artistic skill and knowledge of how to handle the sticky material.
Likely part of a girl’s marriage trousseau, this futonji is decorated with auspicious symbols of wealth and taste known as takara zukushi (treasure collection), which are associated with the Seven Gods of Fortune.
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