A Length of Tsutsugaki Dyed Cotton: Peony and Bellflower

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
62" x 13 1/4",157.5 cm x 33.5 cm

This is a length of beautifully indigo toned, hand spun cotton that is dyed in the tsutsugaki, or free hand past resist technique.

The large, bold designs show peonies and Chinese bell flowers.

The drawing of them is almost charmingly naive: the rendering of the leaves, especially, shows that the hand that drew them either needs more practice or is failing from age. Still, it is this kind of imperfection that makes cloth of this nature delightful to view.

There is one hole to the piece as can be seen in the accompanying detail photos and the areas of brownish discoloration that appear on the photos are not stains but rather they are shadows cast by light.

A charming, full and rich length of tsutsugaki dyed cotton.