Japanese Okinawan Bingata Katazome Textile Framed Signed Horse Ryukyu Folk Art

Description

A hand-dyed Okinawan bingata textile picture in its original timber frame.

Bingata is the polychrome stencil paste-resist dyeing tradition of the Ryukyu Islands — a rice-paste resist is applied through a hand-cut stencil, pigments are brushed and shaded by hand, and the paste is washed away to leave crisp white outlines around every colour. The technique is unmistakable here in the fine white keylines separating each element.

The design shows a caparisoned toy horse on a wheeled base with a pull-cord, standing beneath a red and gold ceremonial parasol, the whole scene enclosed in a maroon ring. The horse is dyed deep red with a studded blue harness, yellow mane and tail, and a blue and green saddle blanket. Colours are strong and unfaded throughout.

The cloth is a coarse, open, hand-woven bast fibre with the irregular slubby thread characteristic of traditional Okinawan weaving. Signed at the lower right with a brushed inscription and a red artist's seal, both photographed close-up so you can read them yourself.

The original frame is plain stained timber with a thin plywood back held by the maker's own bent nails. It has both a hanging ring at the top and a wooden easel strut on the reverse, so it can hang on a wall or stand on a shelf, desk or cabinet.

Free postage within Australia. International buyers welcome 

Customs & Import Duties For international orders, any customs fees, import taxes, or duties are the buyer's responsibility. Orders shipped to the United States have applicable duties and taxes calculated and included at checkout — no additional charges on delivery. This applies to USA orders only. Buyers in all other countries are responsible for any local customs charges. If unsure, we recommend checking with your local customs office before purchasing.

Packaging All fragile items are carefully packed for safe delivery using recycled materials where possible. Comes from a smoke-free home. 

Before You Buy Please review all photos carefully as they form part of the item description. Colours may vary slightly due to screen settings — we do our best to represent items accurately but an exact colour match cannot be guaranteed.