Long Silver & Orange Silk Bolster Cushion: Spider Chrysanthemums on Vintage Japanese Obi

This silk bolster cushion blazes with spider chrysanthemums: great bursting blooms in flame and burnt orange, their centres woven in gilt thread, set within sweeping arcs on a silver ground so textural it catches the light as you move. The kiku has been the imperial flower of Japan for over a thousand years, a symbol of longevity, nobility and the sun. There is real theatre here, but it is beautifully controlled. Incandescent wild petals are held within precise curves, the vivid colour balanced by a tight woven zig-zag pattern ground, heat set against silver restraint. Made from a vintage Japanese Fukuro Obi, c.1970s. The reverse is a contemporary hammered pearl satin, a cool, lustrous counterpoint to all that fire.