Framed Japanese Silk Embroidery Panel Meiji Period

An exquisite Japanese embroidery piece circa end of 19th century-early 20th century of Meiji period. The poetic composition of three birds perched on the branches of the maples in deep autumn, evokes a strong sense of seasonal beauty that is ephemeral and deeply cherished by the Japanese literati. The sparse but stroke-like effective design and the use of the negative space bring to the mind the woodcut by Ohara Koson (1877–1945), the famed painter and print designer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a member of the shin-hanga new prints movement. The execution of the embroidery on the black satin panel, upon close inspection, reveals a superb workmanship. The extremely tight needlework and expertly shift in the color of the thread are mostly evident on the plumage of birds and the maple leaves, render it a painterly quality.
Judged by the size of the piece, it is likely to be the front of a Fukusa, a traditional Japanese textile art that was used to wrap the gift on important occasions.
For a similar piece see Threads of Silk and Gold: Ornamental Textiles from Meiji Japan by Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology University of Oxford. Page 100.