Nō Robe (Nuihaku-type), 18th century. Unknown maker (Japanese). Silk embroidered with silk thread and stenciled with gold foil. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust.
This nuihaku silk robe was decorated using two techniques: embroidery (nui) and ultra-thin metallic foil stenciling (haku). Nō actors wear nuihaku to perform the roles of women and young men. The vertical winding lines are representations of ascending steam, a pattern favored by courtiers during the Heian period (794–1185 C.E.) and repeated in textile design ever since. The surface decorator made the serpentine lines and chrysanthemums and filled the space between with stenciled gold foil. Imagine how the gold embellishments would glisten as an actor moved on stage.
