A Length of Resist Dyed Cloth: Gradient Tones and Wide Bars
early to mid twentieth century
48" x 13", 122 cm x 33 cm
This length of fairly lightweight cotton shows a repeat of blocks of Chinese bellflower and arabesque design which is staggered in between wide bars of a grey color.
The image area of this cloth has a kind of Okinawa bingata feel--a black tone is added to enrich the monochrome image much in the manner of traditional Okinawan textiles.
The cloth was most likely taken from a futon cover judging from the ingrained creases in the selvedge.
There is a fair amount of very faint staining on the length, but it is very pale and almost unnoticeable. The detail photos accompanying this post aim to illustrate this feature.
The pattern with its wide bars is unusual and the overall effect is lovely. It is a good-looking length of old stencil resist dyed cloth.