From the thickest of satins, plain or decorated with designs in brocade, to the most gossamer-like gauzes, every combination of silk and gold thread has been carried to perfection…’
(Sir Rutherford Alcock, Art and Art Industries of Japan, 1878)
The online version of the Threads of Silk and Gold is now fully live, providing a taste of the exhibition currently on display in the Ashmolean's Special Exhibitions Galleries, it enables visitors to browse and search all exhibition objects and their high-quality zoomable images and information online.
Many of us are aware of the beauty of the traditional Japanese kimono. Threads of Silk and Gold introduces the less well known but equally spectacular ornamental textiles that were made for western homes during Japan’s Meiji era (1868–1912). This was the famous period of Japonisme, which saw the European Impressionist painters exploring themes and styles taken from Japanese art, and Victorian rooms filled with Japanese decorative arts and crafts.
A fully illustrated catalogue of the exhibition with further information is also available to purchase from the exhibition shop or online.
After the physical display of this exhibition ends, the web-based version of the exhibition will remain online indefinitely, as an archived resource that can continue to be explored.
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