Kimono with frolicking puppies in the snow
(1925-1935)
- Medium
- silk, cotton
- Measurements
- 136.5 cm (centre back) 125.0 cm (cuff to cuff)
- Place/s of Execution
- Japan
- Accession Number
- 2023.241
- Department
- Asian Art
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Berris Aitken, 2023 - Gallery location
- Special Exhibitions Gallery
Ground Level, NGV International - About this work
-
Creatively designed kimono featuring dark backgrounds with traditional, dramatic and playful subjects were popular in the early twentieth century. This kimono displays a theme popular during the Edo period (1600–1868) that resonated with early twentieth-century artists and designers, foreshadowing today’s craze for ‘cute’, or kawaii, found in Japanese pop, manga and otaku culture. The design depicts puppies playing in the falling snow and includes a large circular shape appearing from the shoulder line that represents a traditional snow umbrella or a full moon.