Asian Silk Embroidered Textile with Tree, Birds and Seashells, pre-1917, red surround, 31.75 x 27.5 inches. Provenance: gifted to US Ambassador to Japan George W. Guthrie, and thence by descent through the family. After serving as the Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1906 to 1909 Guthrie was appointed United States Ambassador to Japan on May 20, 1913. He was accredited as special Ambassador and represented the President and the people of the United States at the funeral of Empress Shoken, the Dowager Empress of Japan, on April 7, 1914, and was the personal representative of President Wilson at the coronation of Emperor Taisho of Japan on September 30, 1915. He died while at that post in Tokyo in 1917, after collapsing while playing golf with an American reporter. The Japanese government sent the armored cruiser Azuma to return his body to San Francisco as a mark of respect.

Fair condition with a hole in the center and repair along the fold at the left center, staining along left side, bottom edge with some tearing and repairs as well. Merchandise will be packed and transported by the purchaser at their own risk and expense. A list of recommended shippers is on our website: https://www.conceptgallery.com/auctions/shipping/ .