Buddhist Priest's Robe (Kesa) with Abstract and Stylized Gourd Decor
Early Edo period, circa 1680
Description
A Buddhist priest's robe known in Japan as a kesa (Sanskrit, kasaya), this rectangular garment is made up of mulitple pieces of the same cloth that together form a patchwork of columns and rectangles framed within a border. The fabric is a luxurious resist-dyed orange silk with abstract patterns made utilizing the "kanoko shibori" tie-dye technique whereby multiple tiny areas of fabric were tied off before the dying process in order to preserve small circular areas of white reserved, the tiny white spots combining to form larger shapes and lines when viewed from afar. The fabric here was further embellished with images of stylized double-gourds decorated with leaves and vines. The gourds, vines, and leaves were embroidered in white, light pink, and light green silk threads and gold. Darker rectangular areas throughout the kesa indicate that rectangular pieces of another fabric (now lost) were once stitched onto selected areas of the patchwork kesa, protecting the main orange fabric beneath from fading through light exposure.
Dimensions
H. 102.9 x W. 205.7 cm (40 1/2 x 81 in.)
Provenance
[T. Kita, Kyoto, by 1926], sold; to Louis V. Ledoux Collection, New York (1926-1948), by descent; to his son L. Pierre Ledoux, New York (1948-2001), by inheritance; to his widow Joan F. Ledoux, New York, (2001-2013), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2013. Footnotes: 1. Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948) 2. L. Pierre Ledoux (1912-2001) 3. On long term loan to Harvard Art Museums from 1985 to 2013.
Related Artworks
View MoreBook of swatches mounted on paper (56 sheets)
19th-20th centuryJapaneseLinen
Cut velvet with silk and metallic yarns filé and frisé
17th-18th centurySpanishLinen canvas (z spun, single ply, even weave) with wool (two-ply woolen) & silk
17th-18th centuryItalianThe technique is needlework.
ChineseSilk damask
17th centuryItalianSilk brocade: rust red silk ground of dyed yarns in tabby weave, the ground interwoven in brocade weave with flat strips of double-layered paper faced with gold leaf
15th centuryChineseResist-dyed silk, satin-stitch embroidery in silk and gold-foil-wrapped threads, and with selected details painted in dark green and black pigments
19th centuryJapaneseWool embroidery on cotton
19th centuryGreek