Artwork
誰ヶ袖図屏風|Tagasode (“Whose Sleeves?”)
誰ヶ袖図屏風|Tagasode (“Whose Sleeves?”) is an ink painting. It dates from 1624 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work consists of two six‑panel folding screens, each covered in a shimmering gold leaf background.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts hanging robes, specifically focusing on the sleeves of garments, which gives the screen its title "Whose Sleeves?
The work depicts hanging robes, specifically focusing on the sleeves of garments, which gives the screen its title "Whose Sleeves?" (Tagasode). Rather than portraying human figures, the composition presents empty clothing suspended in space, often arranged against a background enriched with gold and silver leaf.
This iconography relies on the absence of the wearer to evoke presence, inviting the viewer to imagine the identity of the owner based on the style and pattern of the fabric. The subject symbolizes the lingering essence of individuals through their attire, transforming domestic objects into poetic representations of memory and anticipation.
Technique & Style
Tagasode is executed as a pair of six-panel folding screens created on a paper support. The artist employed ink and color alongside gold and silver pigments, with gold leaf applied to enhance the surface. This combination of materials creates a luminous effect characteristic of the work's formal presentation.
The composition focuses on the depiction of robes, utilizing these rich media to render the textiles with distinct visual weight and texture.
History & Provenance
The folding screens titled Tagasode (“Whose Sleeves?”) are a pair of six‑panel works executed in ink, color, gold, silver and gold leaf on paper. They date to the first half of the 17th century, a period attributed by the catalog entry. The artist is recorded as unknown.
The work depicts a robe and was created as a decorative screen for interior display. Its provenance is presently the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which holds the screens in its Asian art department. No documentation indicates a specific commission or patron, and the circumstances of their creation remain undocumented.
The pair of six-panel screens is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as recorded in the Wikidata entry for the work. The same source identifies the museum's accession numbers as 62.36.2 and 62.36.3, corresponding to the two screens of the pair.
The provided sources do not document any exhibition history for the screens, including dates, venues, or loan records, beyond confirming their current location at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Overview
The work consists of two six‑panel folding screens, each covered in a shimmering gold leaf background. Across the surfaces, the silhouettes of empty kimono robes are suspended on stands, their long sleeves hanging loosely as if recently abandoned. The composition invites contemplation of absence, with the title “Tagasode” (“Whose Sleeves?”) framing the visual riddle.
Artist & collection
Screens within Screens
Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines
伝近衛信尋書・伝長谷川宗也絵 葛下絵色紙貼付 『和漢朗詠集』 屏風|Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines
The Tale of Genji
伝土佐光茂筆 芥子図屏風|Red and White Poppies
平家物語図屏風 「小督」 「大原御幸」|"Kogō" and "The Imperial Procession to Ōhara", from The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari)
俵屋宗達工房 月に秋草図屏風|Moon and Autumn Grasses
狩野周信筆 秋冬花鳥図屏風|Birds and Flowers of Autumn and Winter
Flowers of Autumn and Winter
