Piece

Art Historical Context

This delicate silk textile fragment, simply titled *Piece*, hails from Japan during the 18th–19th centuries, a time spanning the opulent Edo period and the transformative early Meiji era. Measuring just 5½ x 3¼ inches, it exemplifies the exquisite finesse of Japanese woven textiles, crafted from lustrous silk that would have shimmered in the light. As a woven piece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, it likely served as part of a larger garment, such as a kimono or obi sash, reflecting Japan's mastery of sericulture and loom work. In Japanese culture, silk weaving was bo...