INDIGO tsutsugaki panel, Japan, Late Meiji (circa 1910), cm 168x33. Lovely panel of tsutsugaki hand-drawn rice-paste resisted indigo cotton, dating to the late Meiji or early Taisho era (1910s). It features three drawings of wakamatsu (pine saplings), for centuries a symbol of strength and youthful potential. In villages in the countryside, as well as the older sections of some of the larger cities, pine saplings are attached to doorposts at the New Year. This piece has been resisted and dyed twice, yielding these lovely pale asagi indigo forms. This is half of a very long panel that i believe was a wrapping or cover for something, perhaps a musical instrument. There are a few very pale spots from storage, nothing that stands out. The hand-spun, hand-woven cotton is in outstanding condition, and exhibits no wear or fading, apparently used little if at all. Intriguing and - one might dare to say - very ‘Obama-oriented’ in its iconography…