A Good Length of Faded Katazome: Peonies on Hand Spun Cotton

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
69 1/2" x 13 1/2", 176.5 cm x 34 cm

This is a length of indigo dyed katazome cotton that is beautiful not just for its repeat pattern of peonies but also for its yarns: the cloth has been woven from luscious hand spun, hand woven cotton yarns which yield a rich result.

The stylized peonies are flouncy and cloud-like and they sit in a fairly large repeat with a background of arabesque.

The indigo dye is quite faded and has gone grey which sometimes happens. In so doing the fading has softened the boldly drawn pattern and lends a gentle feeling to this otherwise graphic design.

As can be seen this length is constructed from two separate pieces and, of course, shows a good amount of fading from wear.

A beauty.