Fragment of a Kimono

Description

This fragment combines three different methods of patterning: weaving, dyeing, and embroidery. No single technique overpowers the others, creating a harmonious whole. While the beauty of the decoration and colors can still be appreciated in the textile’s fragmentary state, the precise meaning of the embroidered character in the center has been lost: It cannot be interpreted because it has been separated from the rest of the textile and, therefore, the rest of the text.

Provenance

S. Nomura, Kyoto, Japan; sold to Martin A. Ryerson (1856-1932), Chicago, by Feb. 17, 1922 [incoming receipt R33, Feb. 17, 1922]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.

Fragment of a Kimono

Edo period (1615–1868), 1675-1725

Accession Number

95972

Medium

Silk, twill damask weave; embroidered with silk and gilded-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped cotton in satin stitches and laid work and couching; stenciled; mounted on paper, inscribed in ink

Dimensions

36.8 × 23.5 cm (14 1/2 × 9 1/4 in.)

Classification

textile

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson