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Terms and conditions of use
Kimono with sparrows and flowers
(1910-1920)
Medium
silk, silk (thread)
Measurements
137.5 cm (centre back) 135.0 cm (cuff to cuff)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of the Lukies family in memory of Lillian Hadley (nee Ball), 2025
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
During the late nineteenth century, silk and embroidered silk garments became major Japanese export commodities. Responding to the concurrent Japan-influenced Japonisme movement in European art and design, Japanese textile workshops began to subtly adapt garments to suit the tastes of the Western market. This in turn coincided with shifting notions of femininity, form and comfort in European women’s fashion. Broadly based on traditional kimono, these Japanese export garments were designed to be loosely worn and secured with an easy-to-tie tasselled waist sash in place of an obi sash. This example features a traditional Japanese kacho-e design of flying sparrows and cascading flowers of the four seasons.