Piece

Art Historical Context

This exquisite silk textile fragment, titled simply *Piece*, hails from18th-century Japan during the Edo period (161–1868), a time of relative peace and cultural flourishing under the Tokugawa shogunate. Measuring just 2½ × 4 inches (6.4 × 10.2 cm), thisutive woven work showcases the mastery of Japanese textile artisans, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Asian Art Department. Gift in 1920 byhei Hattori in memory of father, it exemplifies the intricate craftsmanship of the era, preserved as a rare survivor of everyday luxury fabrics. Crafted in a compound weave—a sophisticated techn...