Untitled

Unknown

late 18th–19th century · Ground of blue bast fiber (asa) · Asian Art

The original use of this fragment is unclear, but the fiber (asa) and the textile's auspicious overall pattern of flower-filled hexagons hint that it could be a fragment from a costume of matching jacket and long trousers (nagakamishimo) for the Noh or kyōgen theater. One limitation of stencils is that they cannot accommodate patterns of rings because the middle falls out if a circle is cut into paper. Japanese stencil carvers and dyers avoided this problem by reinforcing stencils with thread or by using two stencils, one for part of each ring and a second for the rest. Because the hexagons and floral patterns in this textile are completed ringlike forms, either a double stencil or a single thread-reinforced stencil must have been used.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 18th–19th century

Medium

Ground of blue bast fiber (asa)

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Roy R. and Marie S. Neuberger Foundation Inc. and several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, 2000 Benefit Fund, and funds from various donors, 2001