白繻子地檜垣桜模様小袖|Robe (Kosode) with Cherry Blossoms and Cypress Fence

Unknown

second half of the 17th century · Silk and metallic thread embroidery with resist dyeing on satin damask · Asian Art

The design on this rare kosode (garment with small sleeve openings), with its pattern of cherry blossoms, a fence, and carriage wheels, is an example of the bold, largely diagonal compositions that appeared beginning in the mid-seventeenth century. The donation of precious garments to Buddhist temples has been a common practice throughout much of Japanese history, and these gifts of clothing were often transformed into Buddhist altar cloths (uchishiki) and vestments (kesa). This kosode’s past is unknown, but it has been remade, and its slightly incomplete form suggests that it may once have been an altar cloth.

Artist

Unknown

Date

second half of the 17th century

Medium

Silk and metallic thread embroidery with resist dyeing on satin damask

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation Gift, 1980