Japanese Butterfly Scarf

Description

The butterfly design on our scarf is based on the decoration of an interior tray from a late nineteenth-century black lacquer box that once held long rectangular poem cards and other stationery items. The unknown artist rendered a striking design of large butterflies hovering over grasses tangled with wild chrysanthemum and tufted maiden flower in maki-e lacquer.

Silk satin. Imported. 62'' x 17''.

Art History

In the traditional maki-e technique, finely ground particles of gold, silver, and other metal alloys are sprinkled over wet lacquer in a variety of densities to create the decoration. The exquisite range of colors achieved on the original box is characteristic of the revival of the maki-e technique sponsored by Japan's Meiji government (1868–1912), which was spurred by the demand for Japanese lacquer in Europe and the United States as a result of the international expositions in Paris (1867), Vienna (1873), and Philadelphia (1876).