Cloth: ramie; bingata (stencil resist with applied pigments)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 2019.20.146
This robe is made of unlined, plain-weave ramie, indicating a summer garment for a wealthy, aristocratic Okinawan woman. Larger motifs as seen here were reserved for high-ranked courtiers. Such garments were made to order in the workshops at the royal capital, and the dyers themselves were elevated to the status of lower gentry because of the high value placed on their skills.
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