Textile ArtsJapanese19th century

Buddhist Priest's Stole (Ohi) with Decoration of Flowers and Grasses over a Ground with Horizontal Linear Pattern

19th century

Description

A Buddhist priest's stole worn draped over the forearm in concert with a kesa (robe), this columnar garment known as an ōhi is made up of mulitple pieces of the same cloth that together form a patchwork of squares and rectangles framed within a border. The fabric ground was dyed to a brown color; supplementary wefts of gold were interwoven into the main fabric to create a horizontal linear pattern. Multicolored silk threads were utlized to embroider images of flowers and leaves over the brown and gold ground.

Classification

Textile Arts

Medium

Compound weave brown silk with supplementary gold wefts; selected motifs embroidered in polychrome silk threads

Culture

Japanese

Period

Edo period, 1615-1868

Century

19th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Asian Art

Dimensions

max. H. 163.8 x W. 35.8 cm (64 1/2 x 14 1/8 in.)

Provenance

Louis V. Ledoux Collection, New York (by 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.