A Generous Length of Katazome Dyed Cotton: Faded, Rustic Flowers

early twentieth century
63" x 13 3/4", 160 cm x 35 cm

This is a generous length of indigo dyed katazome cotton cloth that has faded from wear and shows a surface patina related to years of use.

The color tone of the applied orange dye used to highlight the resist dyed flowers has faded almost completely but a faint whiff of orange is still visible as a detail element on all the flowers depicted here.  The indigo tone has been softened with time and is faded overall.

Shown are two vertically arranged columns of flowers: on the left is a stylized paulownia and on the right is a chrysanthemum. Adding background interest are arabesques which are quite boldly shown.

Rustic and simple, this well-used length of cloth has charm.