Piece
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Silk / Compound weave
Dimensions
5 in. × 4 3/4 in. (12.7 × 12.1 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Kihei Hattori, in memory of his father, Kihei Hattori, 1920
Accession Number
20.148.813
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate silk textile fragment, titled simply *Piece*, hails from 18th-century Japan during the Edo period (161–1868), a age of artistic refinement and urban culture. Woven in a sophisticated compound—where multiple warp and we sets interlace to form complex, textured patterns—this small work (just 5 × 4¾ inches) exemplifies the precision of Japanese textile artisans. Its floral motifs, by the tags, likely celebrate nature's beauty, a recurring theme in Edo art symbolizing impermanence and seasonal harmony. Edo-era silk weaving reached new heights of innovation, driven by prosperous merc...