No Robe (Nuihaku)
Artist/Culture
Japanese
Date1867-1912
MediumBrown silk satin with embroidery and cut gold
Dimensions143.5 x 127 cm (56 1/2 x 50 in.)
Overall1: 3 cm (1 3/16 in.)
Overall1: 3 cm (1 3/16 in.)
ClassificationsCostumes and Accessories
Credit LineGift of ALexander H. Bullock
Object number1962.7
DescriptionSatin weave brown beige silk embroidered with silk flower and leave designLabel TextNuihaku, a robe with short hanging sleeves designed for a woman’s role in the No theater, derives its name from decorative techniques and refers to material on which gold or silver is attached by gluing—usually using stencils—and embroidery. Such techniques, unbounded by the technical restriction imposed by weaving, allows greater freedom in the execution of decoration. This robe is decorated with gold waves alternating with chrysanthemums, peonies, cherry blossoms, and maple leaves. The design is noted for the juxtaposition of the stylized (waves) and the natural forms (plants). The cracked and faded gold was intentional and suggests the faded elegance that is an intrinsic part of No aesthetics. No emerged out of Zen Buddhist aesthetics in the fifteenth century. Its bare stage with only a single pine tree as a setting, reflects Zen emphasis on simplicity and austerity. Exquisitely embroidered robes such as this one, are the only elements of color in the stark and emotionally charged presentations in which the costumes are transformed into pieces of moving sculpture by the slow, stylized movements of the masked actors.ProvenanceMathias Komor, 19 East 71st Street, New York, NY; Alexander H. Bullock, 10 Roxbury Street, Worcester MA
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