A Patched Piece of Joined Paper Pieces: Beautifully Translucent

early twentieth century
41" x 34 3/4", 104 cm x 88.25 cm

This translucent, all-over patched and repaired washi, or handmade Japanese paper, object is seamed from 9 individual pieces of paper, each of which bears a hand written kanji or Chinese character.

The original use for this paper is unknown but as it is shown here, backlit, it has a subtle drama that asks for it to be hung against the light. This way, all the seams and the very small, hand glued patches are evident, the geometry of the seaming and patching against the lyrical forms of the kanji are effective and visually alluring.

This is a wonderfully curious thing and something that has great eye appeal.