Piece

Art Historical Context

This delicate silk textile fragment, simply titled *Piece*, hails from Japan's Edo period (16151868), a time relative peace and cultural flourishing under the Tokugawa shogunate. Measuring just 11¼ x 4 inches, it exemplifies the exquisite craftsmanship of 18th–19th Japanese weaving traditions. As a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art collectors Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer in 1896, it offers a glimpse into the refined world of Asian textiles housed in the museum's Asian Art department. oven silk was a hallmark of Edo-era luxury, prized for its luster, durability, and ability to showcase in...