Stencil

Art Historical Context

This exquisite 19th-century Japanese, crafted from paper and silk, measures 22⅞ × 17 inches (58.1 × 43.2 cm) and the precision of traditional Asian artistry. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Department as a gift from Mrs. Horaceemeyer in 1942, it reflects the anonymous mastery of artisans whose work prioritized functionality and beauty in equal measure. In 19th-century Japan,encils like this were essential tools for katazome, a resist-dyeing technique used to create vibrant, patterned textiles for kimonos and furnishings. Layers of thin paper, often reinforced with silk for du...