Japan, 19th century - Lot 234

Lot n° 234
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800 - 1000 EUR
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Result : 800EUR
Japan, 19th century - Lot 234
Japan, 19th century Set of 82 katagami, mulberry paper (washi) stencils for printing on fabric, rectangular in shape and featuring various motifs of plants, flowers, birds (including cranes), fish (carp), or turbulent waves, more or less stylized, sometimes combined with one another or with geometric patterns. 41.5 × 32.5 cm (9); 65 × 42 cm (7); 42 × 25 cm (4) for the blank stencils 42 × 25 cm and 65 × 42 cm (used stencils with traces of color) Traces of color (to varying degrees) on 61 of them (katagami later used in the West); and for the collection as a whole: wear and a few tears, with some of the silk threads (used to hold the cut-out design in place) damaged. Katagami, these Japanese stencils used to print patterns on textiles (primarily clothing), are made from sheets of paper treated with fermented persimmon juice, which makes the paper more water-resistant (and explains their dark color). Widely used by dyers during the Edo period, they fell out of use during the Meiji era (1868–1912) as techniques rapidly Westernized, and stocks were sold on the art market. This is how they arrived in Europe alongside all the other works of art from Japan at the end of the 19th century, where they were also collected. These tools for textile decoration, which had become works of art or historical documents in their own right, were sometimes framed and appreciated for their beauty, or used as decorative templates. All of Europe’s museums of applied arts began acquiring them at that time, and they were reproduced in publications: this led to the widespread dissemination of their designs, which became a major source of inspiration for the artists, artisans, and industrialists of the era!
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