A Colorful and Exuberantly Designed Horse Trapping: Tsutsugaki

early twentieth century
25 1/2" x 18", 64 cm x 46 cm

This wildly painted, hand drawn and colored resist dyed textile was done in the tsutsugaki method and it was used to dress or decorate a horse on celebratory or on the occasions of festivals.

Coincidentally, The Textile Museum at The George Washington University Museum in Washington, DC, is now showing "Adorning the Horse: Equestrian Textiles for Power and Prestige" and Japanese horse trappings are included in this exhibition.

This richly drawn and colored cloth shows whorls and peonies, the combination seems to suggest something mythically celestial. The image is crowded and bursting with life, the colors are applied in an unbridled manner.

Although this cloth is probably nearly one hundred years old, the cotton cloth is finished by machine stitching. There is a pocket on the top through which a cord is drawn, presumably to help keep this cloth attached to the horse when it was dressed.

As you can see the cloth shows some bits loss consistent with the age of the piece and this is documented on the detail photos here. Likewise the cloth is composed of pieces which is evident by looking at the detail photos of the back of this textile.

This is a marvelously and visually engaging textile and, when displayed, it is one that captures the attention and the imagination.

Recommended.