Piece

Art Historical Context

This exquisite silk textile fragment, simply titled *Piece*, hails from Japan's Edo period (16151868), a time of remarkable stability and cultural flourishing under the Tokugawa shunate. Measuring just 5 x 3 inches, this small woven treasure exemplifies the era's mastery of silk production, which was central to Japanese economy and artistry. During the Edo years, silk weaving reached new heights of refinement, with techniques like kasuri (ikat) or elaborate brocading often adorning kimonos, obi sashes, and ceremonial garments for samurai, merchants, and nobility. As a woven textile in the Met...