Stencil with Design of Chrysanthemums and Peony Medallions
Culture
Japanese
, Ise Province
Datelate 19th Century
Mediumhand-cut mulberry paper laminated with persimmon juice; applied silk netting
Dimensions30.8 x 41.9 cm (sheet)
ClassificationsArtists' Materials
Credit LineMrs. Kingsmill Marrs Collection
Object number1925.691
DescriptionA very open design with flowers and zig zag lines.Label TextTRADITIONAL CRAFTS: PAPER AND TEXTILES Nishijima and others in the Folk Art Movement were interested in promoting traditional crafts. They found that both the handmade products and the tools that produced them were worthy of depicting. The pictures here show a glimpse of the process of making paper and tools for producing cloth. The October picture depicts the traditional manufacturing of paper, an occupation pursued on farms from late fall through the winter months. After harvesting the rice crops, farmers started making paper using pulp derived from branches of paper mulberry shrubs/trees, which were also grown as a farm crop. The wet sheets of paper were laid down and brushed flat onto wooden boards in order to dry in the sun (itaboshi). The simple handmade tools shown in the calendar for December would have been familiar to Nishijima and the other textile artists in this exhibition. Utensils, pots and tools were a common depiction for December calendars, a month when the Japanese cleaned and tidied their homes and workshops for the New Year.
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