Wall Hanging
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1991
name: label: Donor Name
content: No Information
notes: label: Notes
content: Though this piece has been assigned an Anthropology Processing Lab T number, no Processing Lab T number catalogue card or other record has been located for it. The object name and information below is taken from the Anthropology Conservation Lab treatment report for the artifact done in 1986 by Judy L. Ozone: Wall hanging, Japan, 19th century. Depicts a soldier holding a shoe in his left hand and battling a dragon with his right hand. In the background are two figures crossing a bridge; on the left is a peasant on foot, on the right is an elderly (and shoeless) gentry astride a horse. The scene depicted is possibly from the Chinese legend of Choryo (Chang Liang, died 189 B.C.), who was counsellor of Liu Pang, founder of the Han Dynasty. "When a boy, he went into the water to fetch the shoe of an old man which had fallen in, and was threatened by a dragon. For this, and his further respectful behavior, the old man gave him, a few days later, a text with the words: 'read this, and you will become the counsellor of a king' "(Feddersen, Martin. Japanese Decorative Art. Faber and Faber, London, 1962, p. 235.) While unfolding the textile for conservation, a handwritten note was found (pencil on a fragment of a printed receipt): "Made by boys for sale out of Japan. But would not destroy. Mr. Culin May 13, 1921." This note is retained in the ACL file for the object. The worked design is composed primarily of lengths of a wide variety of yarns (metallic coated paper wrapped around silk core, gimp, and unplied) held in place by a combination of couching stitches and adhesive. A small amount of embroidery stitching has been used for details. A variety of textures and relief is achieved by means of paper and fiber padding as well as wooden sticks. Several areas have been worked separately and subsequently attached to the support. The eyes of the dragon are apparently made of glass. The support is a plain wave fabric (approx. 45 x 45 ends per inch.) Sections of paper have been adhered to the entire back of the worked area. There is an extensive amount of writing on the paper though it is not readily visible because the inscribed sides have been adhered to the textile. On the reverse, a loose lining of dark brown figured fabric had been attached to a border made of a lighter brown figured fabric. During treatment of the piece in 1986, the backing and border fabrics were removed from the wall hanging. These fabrics have been retained and are stored with the artifact. Note that the "Mr. Culin" referred to in the handwritten note may be Stewart Culin? - F. Pickering 1-26-2006
label: Notes
content: No catalog card found in file
label: Record Last Modified
content: 28 Jul 2019
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Japan (not certain), Asia (not certain)
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 999999
label: USNM Number
content: ET479-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Wall Hanging
physicalDescription: label: Height - Worked Area Of Object
content: ca. 213.5 cm
label: Width - Worked Area Of Object
content: ca. 123 cm