A Length of Beautifully Colored Sakai Sarasa: Indian Inspired Luxury Cotton

mid nineteenth century
29 1/2" x 13 1/4", 75 cm x 33.5 cm

This is length of absolutely beautifully colored, stencil dyed, hand spun, hand woven cotton cloth that is meant to evoke the feeling of Indian trade cloth or sarasa.

Sarasa was collected by connoisseurs of beauty in Japan who were people of great means and high social position. The fact that sarasa was imported and exotic was a lure for attraction--and add to that the mastery of hand drawn design, color and dye achieved by Indian textile artisans that drew interested from Japan's elite.

Sakai sarasa, of which this is an example, is named for the Sakai area of Osaka where this type of cloth was produced.

Sakai sarasa was a kind of luxury fabric in its day and even in the present era it is considered as such in Japan.  Please note the (approximately) six small stains--shown here in photos--that are hard to see amid the richly detailed pattern.

This is an exceptional length and a very good example of old Sakai sarasa. 

Recommended.