Brocade, silk. A Buddhist monk's robe, patched; kesa è¢è£
1615-1868
Classification
Costume and Textile
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1916.663
Tags
About this artwork
To 1916
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk brocade kesa, or Buddhist monk's robe, to Japan's Edo period (16151868), a time of relative peace and cultural flourishing under the Tokugawa shogunate. Crafted with intricate weft patterning—a brocading technique where supplementary wefts create raised, shimmering designs—the robe exemplifies the fusion of luxury materials and spiritual humility. Patched together from fabric scraps, as indicated by its repaired sections, the kesa embodies Zen Buddhist ideals: monks traditionally assembled these garments from discarded textiles to symbolize detachment from worldly attachmen...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...