Art Institute of Chicago

Futon Cover (Futonji)

Japan

Date

Meiji period (1868–1912), 19th century

Medium

Cotton, plain weave; hand-painted, resist dyed (tsutsugaki); four loom widths joined

Culture

Japan

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The traditional Japanese bedding set, known as a futon, typically consists of a padded mattress and a quilted bedcover. the latter often incorporates a decorated cover that would have been made as part of a bride's trousseau. This example bears an elaborate pattern of two phoenixes—a larger male in mid-flight prepares to join a smaller female on the branch of a Paulownia tree. The combination of a phoenix with a Paulownia tree symbolizes peace, sincerity, and benevolence—appropriate attributes for a wedding textile. -A Global View: Recent Acquisitions of Textiles, 2012-2016, April 8-September 5, 2016

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