The Radiance of Vermeer’s Blue — From Lapis Lazuli to Nishijin-ori
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Johannes Vermeer’s masterpiece Girl with a Pearl Earring is currently in Japan. Did you know that the painting’s striking blue was created using lapis lazuli, a rare pigment once valued as highly as gold?
Vermeer used ultramarine, a precious blue pigment made from lapis lazuli brought from distant Afghanistan, to create the deep, jewel-like blue that is characteristic of his paintings.
Centuries later, in Kyoto’s Nishijin district, Kawaseman Textile incorporates the brilliance of lapis lazuli and other natural minerals into woven textiles, transforming their beauty into kimono obi.
Seventeenth-century Vermeer in the Netherlands and contemporary Nishijin-ori in Japan.
Different countries, different eras, and different forms of artistic expression—yet both reveal the enduring beauty of lapis lazuli.
In this article, we explore the secret behind the blue in Vermeer’s paintings and the brilliance of lapis lazuli as expressed through the Nishijin-ori textiles of Kawaseman Textile.
The history of lapis lazuli, the precious pigment that Vermeer so cherished, stretches back thousands of years.
Its principal source is the Badakhshan region of northeastern Afghanistan. Even in the 17th century, raw lapis lazuli was mined from these rugged mountains and transported across the Silk Road and by sea to Europe. The name “ultramarine,” meaning “beyond the sea,” reflects the extraordinary journey this precious material made to reach European artists.
Lapis lazuli has long been regarded as a symbol of beauty and prestige. Thousands of years ago, it was already valued by ancient civilizations and was even used as inlay on the golden mask of Tutankhamun in ancient Egypt.
For centuries, this rare blue stone has captivated people with its deep, luminous color—a beauty that continues to inspire artists and artisans today.
The beauty of lapis lazuli lies not only in the natural splendor of the stone itself. To create the precious blue pigment, the blue mineral lazurite had to be carefully extracted from the stone, with great effort required to remove impurities. Because of its rarity and the labor-intensive process involved, ultramarine was once an extraordinarily expensive pigment, valued even more highly than gold.
A scientific study conducted in 2018 confirmed that Vermeer used a substantial amount of the finest natural ultramarine in the turban of Girl with a Pearl Earring. Rather than substituting a less expensive blue, Vermeer chose this exceptionally precious material for his painting.
What he sought was more than simply a color. He sought the luminous quality of a gemstone itself—the depth, radiance, and timeless beauty contained within the stone.
The philosophy of understanding the timeless beauty inherent in natural materials and bringing out their unique qualities through craftsmanship is deeply shared by Kawaseman Textile, a Nishijin-ori textile maker in Kyoto with more than 170 years of history.
Nishijin-ori features a traditional technique known as Hikihaku, in which gold leaf, other materials, and natural substances are applied to Japanese washi paper, which is then cut into fine strips and woven into the fabric as weft threads.
Kawaseman Textile has further evolved this traditional technique through its own patented technology, Diamond Textile, creating a distinctive form of luxury textile.
By combining powdered natural gemstones, including diamonds and lapis lazuli, with washi paper and weaving them into the fabric, Kawaseman Textile creates a uniquely Japanese luxury textile whose appearance changes with the angle of the light.
It is a way of transforming the brilliance of gemstones into something that can be woven—and ultimately, worn.
In 17th-century Netherlands, Vermeer used a pigment made from lapis lazuli to bring his canvases to life. Centuries later, in Kyoto, Kawaseman Textile weaves the brilliance of this mineral into Nishijin-ori obi.
Across different eras and cultures, both share the same passion for craftsmanship: using the finest natural materials and transforming their beauty into extraordinary forms of artistic expression.
Vermeer captured the radiance of lapis lazuli in paint. Kawaseman Textile captures it in woven form.
See Vermeer. Discover the beauty of lapis lazuli. And experience its brilliance as something you can wear.
Kawase Mitsu Orimono is the only Nishijin weaving house in the world officially licensed by the Mucha Foundation to recreate the works of Alphonse Mucha through the art of Nishijin weaving.
Around a decade ago, representatives of the Mucha Foundation visited our workshop in Kyoto's Nishijin district, where they experienced the unique qualities of our textiles firsthand—including their rich three-dimensional texture, the elegance of natural silk, and the subtle play of light that can only be achieved through weaving rather than printing.
They recognized our ability to faithfully reproduce Mucha's intricate linework and decorative beauty using traditional Nishijin weaving techniques. That recognition became the foundation of this unique collaboration.
KAWASEMAN＆MUCHA
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