Pair of Japanese Silver Thread Embroideries on Silk Velvet
A rare and exquisite pair of antique Japanese embroideries woven during the Meiji period (1868-1912), at a time when the Japanese arts and crafts had been discovered by a selected few, visionary western art collectors. This prompted a series of exhibitions which introduced the subject to the wider public in Europe, such as the Vienna Art Fair in 1873. When Japanese textiles arrived in Paris these managed to capture the attention of celebrated artists like Matisse and Van Gogh, who soon began to collect them avidly. Many of the motifs present on these textiles will soon reappear in elements of their paintings, together with its renewed sensitivity for colour.
This example was most probably commissioned as an item of extreme luxury. The copper coloured silk velvet foundation is elegantly embroidered by a silver wrapped, metal thread embroidery to create a peaceful pattern composed of opposing pairs of large birds perched on top of a flowering plant, overlooking three small birds sitting on little branches near a pond. The tiny waves which ripple the surface of the pond create a curvilinear motif which will become iconic in the iconography of avant-garde movements such as Art Nouveau and Jugendstil, illustrating again the profound influence of the art of the Meiji period towards the development of Modernism.