Nō Robe (Surihaku-type)
Original Language Title能装束（摺箔）
CultureJapanese
DateEdo period (1615-1868)
MediumSatin
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number32-142/5
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionWhite-figured satin ground with gold and silver stencil designs. No robe (Surihaku type) with designs of butterflies and wisteria.Gallery LabelImagine an actor wearing this robe during a dramatic Nō theater performance. As he sweeps across the torch-lit stage, the robe’s metallic adornments shimmer in the flickering light. This exquisite robe was meant to be worn as an inner costume by a male actor playing a female role, who might have revealed part of this robe during a performance.
Nō theater performers were traditionally all male, and masks and costumes help male actors transform into female roles both physically and psychologically.
Yamanaka & Company, New York, by August 1932;
Purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, August 1932
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
