ca. mid to late nineteenth century
8" x 17", 20 cm x 43 cm

This is a fabulously beautiful bag which is made from botanically dyed, nineteenth century rinzu silks, some of which were embroidered with silk threads or embellished with gold couching (see details).

Silk from formal kimono--quite expensive then as now--were used to make this drawstring bag which is compose of 18 pieces of silk. Note the predominate colors of orange, red, purple, blue and green--the orange and red are from safflower dye, the purple from gromwell root, the blue and green from indigo.

Silk as it ages weakens, and there are some areas of splitting of silk, noted especially in the horizontally banded piece, shown in detail photos.

A really wonderfully lovely and delicate bag, this most certainly carries with it traditions from a lost Japan.

Beautiful. Recommended.