Safflower-colored child’s kimono, late 19th-early 20th century
Unknown Japaneseexpand_more
Cloth: hemp; safflower dye (beni)expand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fund and the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation; purchase from the Thomas Murray Collectionexpand_more 2019.20.97
Not on Viewexpand_more
Material: Safflower dye (beni)
This kimono, possibly worn by a child, is woven from hemp and dyed a vivid scarlet pink with beni, made from safflower. To create the hue, the dye maker removes the safflower petals from the flowerheads, crushes them, and leaves them to ferment in the vat. In the process, the dyestuff turns from yellow to red. Finally, straw ash is added to extract the red pigment.
The variable colors of this kimono tell the story of its alterations. A tuck in the body indicates the length was shortened. Meanwhile, the sleeves were lengthened with additional fabric, dyed a more saturated shade of beni.
Details
- Title
- Safflower-colored child’s kimono
- Role
- Maker
- Accession Number
- 2019.20.97
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murray et al. 2018, pl. 43
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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