Piece

Unknown Artist

18th–19th century

Piece by Unknown Artist

Medium

Silk

Dimensions

6 x 7 1/4 in. (15.24 x 18.41 cm)

Classification

Textiles-Woven

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1896

Accession Number

96.14.1701

Tags

Flowers

Art Historical Context

This delicate silk textile fragment, titled simply *Piece*, hails from Japan during the 18th or 19th century, a time when silk weaving reached extraordinary heights of artistry in the Edo and early Me periods. Measuring just 6 x 7¼ inches, it exemplifies the precision of Japanese woven textiles, likely a remnant from a larger garment or decorative object. Floral motifs, as suggested by its tags, bloom across its surface—a nod to Japan's profound reverence for nature, where flowers symbolized seasonal beauty, renewal, and the fleeting essence of life known as *mono no aware*. Crafted in silk, ...

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