A Length of Thickly Layered Patched Boro Cotton: Hand Spun Yarns

late nineteenth century
68 1/2" x 13", 174 cm x 33 cm

This handsomely designed and colored boro cloth is hand woven from hand spun cotton yarns; the cotton is of a very nice weight.

The hand spun yarns are a desired quality in old boro cloth and they lend to the piece what the Japanese call "thread flavor," a charming term but also one that indicates age and desirability.

This cloth was taken from a futon cover: as can be seen on the detail photos there are faint, brown stains which are located primarily at the very top of this length.

What is nice about this boro length, aside from the hand spun cotton yarns, are the gradient blues which are the result of layers of patching, in some places three thick.

This is a beautiful piece and one with elegant proportions: its size and shape relative to the applied patches is lovely.

A beautiful piece.