A Length of Katazome Dyed Cotton: Chrysanthemums as Roundels

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
41 1/2" x 13 1/14", 105.5 cm x 33.5 cm

This is length of indigo dyed katazome cotton that seems to have been detailed in orange pigment dye that has faded to a very dull, warmish tone that we see here. This dulled color is unusual and is beautiful in the way it plays with the inky, blue-black background.

The image is that of chrysanthemums that are rendered as roundels. They seem dwarfed in comparison to the karakusa or arabesque which gives an unusual sense of scale.

The cloth is old, the cotton yarns are lusciously hand spun. The cloth has seen many decades, maybe more than a century, and as such it bears the signs and soulfulness that is carried with age.

Beautiful.