Priest's Robe
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Silk, metallic thread
Dimensions
H. 46 1/2 x W. 84 in. (118.11 x 213.36 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Costumes
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of E. G. Kennedy, 1932
Accession Number
32.65.15
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Priest's Robe* from 18th-century Japan, during the Edo period (5–1868), the era's mastery of luxurious textiles. Made of shimmering silk embroidered with metallic threads, the robe measures an impressive 46½ x 84 inches (118.11 x 213.36 cm), designed to drape elegantly over a priest's form during rituals. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum Art in 1932 by E. G. Kennedy, it now resides in the Asian Art department classified as a textile costume. The Edo period was a time of relative peace and cultural flourishing under the Tokugawa shogunate, when Buddhist and Shinto priests wor...