Piece

Art Historical Context

This exquisite silk textile fragment, dating to Japan's 18th–19th centuries, exemplifies the mastery of woven fabrics during the late Edo and early Meiji. Measuring a compact 10½ x 5¼ inches, it hails from a time when silk production flourished in regions like Kyoto and Nishijin, where weavers crafted luxurious materials for clothing, furnishings, and ceremonial use. As a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art collectors Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer in 1896, it reflects early Western enthusiasm for Japanese artistry amid the global Japonisme craze. Woven silk held profound cultural significan...