Two Pieces of Resist Dyed Kimono Cloth: Miniature Landscape of Pines

late nineteenth century
each approximately: 30" x 13", 76 cm x 33 cm

Shown here are two pieces of indigo dyed cloth that show small, resisted and hand painted images of trees and birds in flight. These slightly crude but thoroughly delightful images were placed near the bottom hem of the kimono the pieces were taken from.

The cloth is unusual in that it seems to be a mixture of silk and cotton; in the hand it feels almost like a lightweight wool but as there is no evidence of insect damage which is prevalent in Japanese "mousseline" wool this seems not to be the case.

It is clear that the cloth was worn hard and that it was repaired. The images are a bit hard to make out but for some reason they make themselves known fairly easily.

A charming couple of fragments from an old kimono these still show a rich, deep indigo tone.