Japanese Teahouse Shutter

 

Accession #: 1928-114-1 shutter
Date: c. 1917
Owner: PMA
Artist: Ogi Rodo
Materials: Wood (estimated cypress/ cedar); bamboo; ferrous metal nails and hanging hardware
Dimensions: 73” L x 24” H x 1.25” D

​

This shutter is from the rear window on the north side of PMA's Japanese teahouse. It hangs by two iron rings attached to the top edge of the shutter which in turn hang on iron hooks driven into the stucco of the exterior wall. The shutter has mortise and tenon frame with top rail extending horizontally past the joint at the sides and side stiles extending vertically past the joint at the bottom. There are four vertical muntins that divide the shutter and hold cypress panels which are secured on the outside with nailed bamboo strips. An iron ring near the center of the bottom rail allows the shutter to be held open.

​

The teahouse was designed by architect Ōgi Rodō after traditional Japanese examples and was originally installed at a Tokyo residence. It was purchased by the PMA in 1928 and was installed in the museum’s galleries in the 1950s.

​

Before treatment, the shutter was dirty and had some minor splits in the wood, a loose mortise and tenon joint, and a misaligned panel. The iron hooks that attach the shutter to the teahouse wall had also come loose, resulting in damage to the adjacent stucco wall surface and disruption of prior repairs. The purpose of this treatment was to lightly clean and stabilize the shutter and to secure its hanging hooks and repair adjacent damage to the tea house exterior wall.  

​

View examination and treatment report HERE