A Pieced Drawstring Bag: 19th Century Silks

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
as shown: 9" x 9" x 9", 23 cm x 23 cm x 23 cm

This drawstring bag is hand stitched from many fragments of old silk, some of them crepe, and some dyed in botanical dyes. It appears some, if not all, were once part of kimono.

Notable among the fragments that comprise the bag are the purplish ones. No doubt these are dyed in shikon or gromwell root--and note the bottom of the bag that shows a nice swath of shikon dyed crepe silk as well as a sliver that depicts two birds in flight. Just charming.

The red pieces are dyed with manufactured dyes which were introduced to Japan from Germany in the late 1800s. Notice as well the snippets of floral images that appear on the grey fragments and the large scale bamboo leaves on one of the purple pieces.

The bag is lined in faded, pale blue cloth and overall the bag is in very good, used condition.

Just lovely.