Kimono Rack (Ikō) with Scrolling Foliage and Tokugawa Family Crest

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

As numerous extant examples demonstrate, in the Momoyama (1573–1615) and early Edo periods artisans from various painting schools depicted on folding screens an array of sumptuously patterned garments, including Noh robes casually draped over kimono racks. These compositions of garments on lacquer clothing stands appeared in paintings as “advertisements” for kimono makers as well as in paintings of both brothel scenes and the interiors of military residences. In fact, a twelfth-century document mentions the interior furnishings appropriate for a room in an aristocrat’s house, including a clothing stand draped with garments. By the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, lacquer clothing stands had become a conventional item included in the bridal trousseau of wealthy women. The kimono rack on view could have been part of the trousseau of a Tokugawa princess.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art