Delaware Antiques Show 2021

As a result, Japanese embroidery appeared at World’s Fairs and Expositions, such as Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial International Exposition, where some 30,000 Japanese objects on display included both modern shishu kaiga and traditional textiles, like kimono silks. Despite this duality, European markets far more actively pursued traditional textile products, driven not necessarily by a respect for the craft but rather by a sense of paternal fascination for Japan’s historical insularity. The visual appeal of Japanese work was often based in its foreignness, evoking a sense of orientalist nostalgia. The interest in labeling Japanese culture as historically unspoiled by the modern world worked against the modern Meiji-Era narrative that Japan was indistinguishable from its European counterparts. This dichotomy served only to increase the tension between profitable traditional arts and politically aware modern practices. Regardless, shishu kaiga faded out in the early 20th century, eventually disappearing from artistic production during the war-torn Showa Era (1926–89). Ultimately, the relative dearth of information about these objects makes it difficult to confirm the origin of this work. There are few signed examples of shishu kaiga , and without comparable objects, it is difficult to establish stylistic identification, especially as there are no others known that depict a domestic scene. In fact, the vast majority of shishu kaiga depict animals and landscapes. The lack of comparative examples is a potential indication that the work is either not Japanese or was made by a foreigner studying Japanese silk-work techniques. Although there is a clear association between object and place, an exact understanding of this relationship remains elusive. Regardless, the coexistence of both Japanese and European textile traditions within this object speaks to the tension between tradition and modernity at the heart of the Meiji Reformation. As Japan strived for global recognition, their changing aesthetics challenged Euro-American understandings of what makes something “Japanese.” In a poignant way, the modern misattribution of this object reflects the same tendency to search for a particular aesthetic in Asian art, rather than embracing the variety and remarkable flexibility of global art histories. Rachael Kane is a second-year Lois F. McNeil Fellow in the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture. — 18 —