Piece
Unknown Artist
19th century (?)
Medium
Silk, metallic thread
Dimensions
13 3/4 x 12 in. (34.92 x 30.48 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo (1615–1868) or Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1896
Accession Number
96.14.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite woven textile, simply titled *Piece*, hails from Japan during the late Edo period (1615–1868) or early Meiji era (1868–1912), a time of artistic refinement and transition. Crafted from luxurious silk and shimmering metallic threads, it measures a compact 13¾ x 12 inches, suggesting it may have been a panel, mount, or decorative fragment. Delicate bird motifs, a hallmark of Japanese nature-inspired art, likely evoke themes of freedom, seasonal change, or auspicious omens, rendered with the precision of traditional weaving techniques. In Japanese culture, textiles like this were ...