A Group of Five Faded Pieces of Edo Komon: 19th Century Cotton

**reduced from $55.00**
mid nineteenth century
various sizes, the largest:13" x 13", 33 cm x 33 cm

Edo komon cloth is a particular type of 19th century katazome or stencil resist dyed cotton that shows a minuscule repeat pattern that is so small and crowded it appears mist-like when seen from afar.

This is a group of five old pieces of Edo komon, each of which is drastically faded and abraded, however the tiny pattern of of fans and other traditional Japanese object is still very easy to see.

It is almost unimaginable to think of the skill of the katazome dyer who produced this cloth as there is no evidence of the repeat: his skill in moving and registering the stencil with exactitude as it made its way down the length of the cloth is astonishing. This set was probably dyed in sumi or charcoal-based ink.

A lovely set of mid-19th century cottons, very faded, but still quite vibrant in their essential beauty.