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1. Noh costume Japan 18th c. silk and gold brocade |
This Noh robe for a male role has a blue ground, marked by paired undulating vertical gold lines, a motif called tatewaku considered to represent rising vapor. Above these lines, and seemingly detached from them, float peony heads and pairs of butterflies in medallions. These images recall court taste of the Heian period, the Japanese golden age, in a style known as yusoku. Fresh, crisp and virile, this composition would be appropriate for a nobleman of legend in the springtime of life. Noh costumes are made of stiff silk brocades woven with motifs in relief which resemble embroidery, often arranged so as to suggest different depths of décor. On stage, the bold décor of the robes as well as their oversized, sculptural silhouettes add to the strangeness of atmosphere which permeates these spectacles Itemcode: 1 |