Piece

Art Historical Context

This delicate woven silk textile, created in Japan during the 18th–19th centuries, captures the refined elegance of nature through its motifs of birds perched among bamboo. Measuring just 4½ by 7 inches, the small scale suggests it may have served as a fragment from a larger garment, such as a kimono or obi, or perhaps a decorative panel. As a product of Japanese textile, it reflects the high level of craftsmanship in silk weaving during the Edo period, when intricate patterns were developed to adorn clothing and furnishings for the merchant and samurai classes. The imagery of birds and bambo...