Light brown-ground kimono with connected double lozenge pattern, late 19th-early 20th century
Unknown Ryukyuanexpand_more
Cloth: Japanese fiber banana (bashō); katazome (stencil resist)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 2019.20.181
Not on Viewexpand_more
This kimono is a testament to the distances textiles sometimes travel and the creative transformations they undergo through the work of many hands. Woven in Okinawa from banana bast fiber, the light, breathable cloth was likely intended for export to the Japanese mainland, where such luxe fabric was prized. The connected double-lozenge pattern, a mainland motif achieved through a stencil resist-dyeing technique called katazome, might have been added there later. Ironically, the pattern imitates kasuri (or ikat)—an Okinawan technique. In the last step of its transformation, the cloth was cut and sewn into a form typical for Japanese kimono with long, free-hanging sleeves.
Details
- Title
- Light brown-ground kimono with connected double lozenge pattern
- Role
- Maker
- Accession Number
- 2019.20.181
- Provenance
- Cynthia Shaver
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murray et al. 2018, pl. 142
- 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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