A Three Panel Noren: Beautifully Graphic Mon or Crest

mid twentieth century
65" x 38 1/2", 165 cm x 98 cm

Shown here is a three panel, stenciled, seemingly unused noren--a noren being a traditional curtain that acts as a shop sign or a kind of cover for an entrance way, depending how the noren is used.  

When noren are used as shop signs they are hung in the doorway of a business to announce the shop is open, however they also provided a barrier between the dust and chaos of the street and the inside of the shop or home.

Additionally noren incite some sort of psychological effect by delineating a transition between outside and inside.

This particular one is stenciled, the color is probably a mineral-based pigment and it shows a wonderfully graphic central image of a family crest called fundo which is a stylized depiction of a counterweight used in the measuring the weight of items, usually in shops. During the Edo period this crest was often used to emblazon shop signs.

Although seemingly unused the undyed cloth here shows a bit of foxing but otherwise it is in quite good condition and is very attractive to the eye. The cloth is stiff from being stenciled with a pigment paste and the cotton is fairly heavy in weight, similar to a cotton duck or canvas.

Recommended.